Infatuation
by CSC20
Summary: Alex Vause is a national soccer prodigy currently training under a scholarship with Litchfield University. Will her priorities change when freshman Piper Chapman steals her heart? Vauseman endgame- M rating.
1. Chapter 1

Infatuation- Chapter 1

"Piper sweetheart, we really need to get going".

Bill Chapman had appeared at the door of Piper's bedroom. His face was flushed red and beads of sweat were visible on his forehead. He stooped down to pick up the last remaining box in the room, with a deep breath he heaved the box into his arms and slowly made his way out of the room.

Piper was now alone in her childhood bedroom. She looked around the now empty room. The pale pink walls and wooden floor felt cold and unfamiliar. Piper wasn't sad to be leaving her family home, she wasn't even sad to be leaving her family for the first time in her life - Piper Chapman was scared.

She was scared of change.

Piper's life here was far from perfect, a change should do her good right?

Piper took one last look around the room and made her way outside. She reached the car just as Bill managed to cram the last box into the back. He sighed triumphantly and wiped his brow with the back of his hand. Looking up he caught his daughter's eye, "Alright then sweetheart, are you ready to go?"

Piper nodded back at her father and climbed into the car. She put her seatbelt on and plugged her phone into the USB port in the car. She flicked through her carefully created road trip playlist whilst Bill did his final checks of the car. Bill gave his daughter a reassuring smile and started the car. Piper gazed out of the window as they backed out of the driveway- excitement, hope and a slight twinge of anxiety fluttered in the pit of her stomach. Her anxiety soon disappeared when Justin Bieber's 'Sorry' filled the car, Bill sighed in disappointment at her choice of song before proceeding to wiggle in his seat and shout out the words at full volume. Piper threw her head back with laughter, by the time the song was finished her cheeks were aching. The journey continued in a similar fashion, Piper and Bill sung their hearts out to every song that came on- they'd just finished their rendition of 'Footloose' when Bill suggested that they stop for a milkshake.

"So, are you excited for your new adventure?" Bill asked before taking a sip of his banana milkshake. They were sat opposite each other in a booth of a small 50's style diner. The diner was fairly quiet, the other diners also looked like they were on their way to college- nervous teenagers stopping for one final reassuring chat with their parents.

"Urm, I guess so" Piper replied, she looked down at her hands- she didn't want her father to know how scared she actually was.

"College is a big change sweetheart, it's perfectly normal to feel anxious but you'll do great. You always do", Bill smiled at his only daughter with admiration before taking another sip of his milkshake, this time purposely letting the whipped cream rest on his upper lip leaving him with a whipped cream moustache. He raised his eyebrow at Piper and stuck out his tongue to make her laugh. She smiled a genuine smile back at him. Piper really did love her father- he always knew exactly what to do to cheer her up.

Piper slept for the rest of the journey.

The evening before she had struggled to get to sleep in the shell that once was her room. She had spent most of the night looking through her high school year book- she looked over the pages at the glossy faces of strangers that stared back at her. High school had been a difficult time for Piper, she was painfully shy and so struggled to make friends. This only made Piper more nervous for college, who would want to be friends with someone like her?

"Piper… Piper, sweetheart. We're here."

Piper woke up with a start. She opened her eyes and squinted at the evening sun. She peered out of the window and saw the beautiful campus of Litchfield University staring back at her. The campus had captured Piper's heart when she had first visited with her father the previous year. It looked particularly stunning in the fading sunlight. Piper took a deep breath and opened the car door. She could hear music playing in the distance and immediately felt excitement surge through her body.

With the help of some friendly sophomores Piper and Bill managed to unload the car in record time. They were stood in the middle of Piper's new room, the awkward silence that enveloped them was due to the immediate realisation that it was time for Bill to leave. Piper felt the tears fall down her cheeks before she even realised that she felt sad, her father had always been her security blanket and now she was going to be without him for the first time in her life. Bill pulled Piper into a deep hug, "Good luck kiddo, show them how great you are".

 **A/N- Hey guys, I'm so new to this and just started randomly writing today so please be patient with me. I don't know if this is even something that you will all like. I have a few ideas for where this story will go so if you like what you see in the first two chapters please let me know and I'll be sure to carry on. I'm also open to suggestions on plot ideas etc.**


	2. Chapter 2

Infatuation- Chapter 2

Piper was still sniffling in her room when someone knocked on her door. Piper jumped slightly and turned to find a brunette stranger standing in the open doorway, she peered inquisitively around Piper's room.

"You just got here huh?"

"Umm… yeah", Piper muttered back- she blushed as a result of being caught in such an emotional state.

The stranger walked into the room without invitation and sat on the uncovered mattress.

"I'm Polly". She smiled up at Piper. She was a pretty girl, wearing an Orange Litchfield University tee shirt and jeans that were ripped at the knees. She had a confident air about her, Piper thought it almost edged on arrogance. Her big brown eyes were eagerly assessing the array of boxes and bags that lay around Piper's room. She stood up and walked over to the large bay window that dominated the back wall of the room. "Wow, look!"

Piper joined Polly at the window. Her room overlooked the sports fields on the edge of campus, there were swarms of students wearing orange making their way over to one of the sporting venues. Leading the crowd was a small group of students who were banging very large drums and waving huge orange flags. "Hey, that looks like so much fun. C'mon we're missing out!" Polly proceeded to grab Piper's hand and run out of the room shouting at people to join them.

By the time they got outside Piper was in the middle of a small group of girls. Polly introduced her to some of the other girls from their dorm; Lorna and Brooke. They shouted their greetings to each other over the din of the drums, "This is so exciting!" Piper yelled. The girls nodded in enthusiastic agreement. After a few minutes of walking and excited chatter the girls reached the soccer stadium. The air was filled with loud music and chanting from the mass of students, Piper thought to herself that she'd never felt more at home. A uniform wave of beeping pulled Piper from her thoughts, at that moment every student in sight pulled out their phones to look at the message that they'd all just received. Piper and Polly looked at each other with confusion and excitement before peering down at their own phones.

 **LitchUni: ARE YOU READY TO MEET THE HEROES OF LITCHFIELD?!**

 **YOU BETTER GET READY!**

 **KICK OFF IS 30 MINUTES AWAY**

Polly beamed over at Piper, "This must be the first soccer game of the season! I've heard all about the Litchfield girls' Soccer team. Apparently they got to the national finals last year, they are like royalty around here".

Brooke nodded in agreement, "I can't believe we actually get to see them in person, I watched all their games on YouTube last year- they're insane!"

The excitement around the stadium was palpable as the crowd started to pile through the turnstiles and into the stadium. As she passed through the turnstile Piper was handed an Orange Tee shirt by one of the guys who had been playing the drums. She eagerly pulled it over her head and away from her body in order to see what it said. _'LETS GO LITCH'._ She looked around for Polly who grabbed her hand and led her up the stairs to the top row of the stands. They stood up looking down at the soccer pitch below them, there were cheerleaders lining the edge of the field earning wolf whistles from all corners of the stadium. "They look amazing" Brooke gasped in awe, "I definitely want to be a cheerleader". The sun was setting now marking the sky with an array of pinks and purples, Piper thought that she didn't think she'd ever saw anything more beautiful.

The flood lights at the top of the stadium had been turned off in the last few minutes sending the whole stadium into darkness. The crowd became hushed as the students nervously spoke to each other in hushed whispers. From somewhere in the roof of the stadium spotlights were switched on, they made large bright moving circles on the grass of the pitch. The drummers had started to play again now, they were collectively playing a slow beat, Piper felt her heart mirror the beat as she anxiously waited in anticipation.

Piper jumped as the tannoy system brought her out of her trance, " _LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, PLEASE GIVE A WARM LITCHFIELD WELCOME TO YOUR WOMEN'S SOCCER TEAM"._ The stadium around them erupted in noise as the crowd jumped to their feet. The spot lights were now all focused on the tunnel opposite to where Piper was standing. It was only now that the lights were on that Piper noticed the team's stood there waiting to come onto the pitch. The two teams made their way onto the field and Piper cheered and shouted with the rest of the crowd. The Litchfield girls were wearing orange shirts with white shorts, they all waved at the crowd. One of the players, number 4, was running around the edge of the field with her arms in the air encouraging the crowd to shout louder. The crowd laughed and collectively cheered louder, much to her amusement.

The noise didn't subside during the game, even when the opposing team had possession of the ball. Polly and Brooke were right, the Litchfield girls were amazing. They passed the ball between themselves with ease and were almost showing off- number 4 was doing neat tricks and flicks whenever she got the opportunity. Lorna, who didn't seem to have much knowledge of the sport, thoroughly enjoyed these moments- gasping and jumping up and down whenever she managed to pull off a trick.

With five minutes to go both teams had scored one goal each. The crowd was noticeably nervous, letting out gasps every time the other team got possession of the ball. The time was ticking down now, Piper was jumping up and down nervously- she didn't usually care for sport but she felt like at this moment she would give anything for Litchfield to win.

Number 4 had the ball on the half way line with two minutes left to play, she skipped away from one of her opponents before passing the ball to a tall girl, number 10, who was playing in attack. Defenders charged at the number 10 but somehow she managed to get away from all of them. The crowd collectively held their breath and she glided past 3 opponents with ease.

It was only the goal keeper left now.

She pulled her left leg back to take the shot at goal, as the goal keeper ran forward for the ball the number 10 tapped the ball with her left foot and blasted the ball with her right foot into the top right hand corner of the goal.

Piper thought her ear drums were going to burst as she screamed out in excitement along with the rest of the crowd. She jumped up and down with her arms in the air and turned to Polly who was doing the same. The player who had scored the goal was running to the crowd now with her arms held out wide, the rest of the team including the goal keeper had ran the length of the pitch to jump and her back and celebrate with her.

' _LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, PLEASE GIVE IT UP FOR YOUR GOAL SCORER AND PLAYER OF THE MATCH- NUMBER TEN…ALEX VAUSEEEE'_

At the mention of her name the crowd erupted once more, Brooke leaned over and shouted in Piper's ear, "That's Vause, she's the best player on the team by far! She's even tipped to play nationally one day!" Piper looked down in admiration as Alex continued to be congratulated by her team mates.

As the teams set up to see out the final few minutes of the match the big screen at the end of the stadium displayed a live close up of Alex's face. Her hair was pulled back into a messy bun with some of the shorter strands of her fringe clinging to the sweat that had gathered at the top of her forehead. Her cheeks were red and she was panting lightly with her hands on her hips as she waited for the game to begin again. When she caught sight of herself on the big screen she laughed and winked at the camera.

Piper was both surprised and confused by the swooping sensation that she felt in her lower stomach whilst watching the big screen- it must have been because she skipped dinner.

 **A/N- Thought I'd update straight away so you can see where I'm going with this. Please do review and let me know if you'd like me to continue. I promise it will pick up soon.**


	3. Chapter 3

Infatuation- Chapter 3

Piper's eyes were watering with boredom as her professor drawled on about the dispute between Newton and Leibniz in her Calculus history class. She glanced down at the watch on her wrist, only fifteen minutes left. She was due to be meeting Polly and the other girls at the small coffee shop on campus. Piper discreetly pulled her phone out of her pocket and started scrolling through her messages.

 **Group chat**

 **Lorna: Guys, where are you? Aren't we meeting now?!**

 **Brooke: Give me 10 mins, I've lost my purse lol -.-**

 **Lorna: Hurryyyy I'm on my own!**

 **Polly: Me and Piper are in lectures, we won't be long**

 **Lorna: Don't worry, I've made friends! ;) We're sat by the window, come join when you get here :)**

Piper chuckled to herself before slipping her phone back into her pocket. The majority of people they had been introduced to at college had come from Lorna's incredible 'friend-making' skills. Piper envied the confidence that the short brunette possessed. She spun her pen around in her fingers as she contemplated how much easier college would be for her if she just bit the bullet and made the first move.

…

"Piper!" Polly pulled Piper into a hug- Piper hated the dramatic ritual that ensued every time she was greeted by Polly. "Hi" Piper murmured, "You ready to go?"

"Yes! I'm so excited to see who Lorna has met, I hope it's those guys from the other night- the Australian one was so hot!" Polly exclaimed.

Piper nodded in half-hearted agreement.

They made their way through campus to the little coffee shop that was situated on the quad. The campus looked beautiful in the afternoon sun, the leaves on the trees were starting to shine gorgeous tones of yellow and brown as a result of the oncoming fall. Polly was practically skipping ahead of Piper now, shouting over her shoulder for Piper to hurry up.

When Polly burst through the door of the coffee shop the bell above the door chimed. Piper followed closely behind her and was greeted by the strong scent of coffee beans and fresh pastries. Soft music was playing over the speakers and some students were huddled in a group reading quietly in the corner of the room.

"Guys! Hey… Piper… Polly… Over here!"

Piper and Polly turned simultaneously towards the sound of Lorna shouting their names. She was sat next to the window with three other girls. Piper saw Polly's shoulders sag in disappointment as she realised that they would be accompanied by females and not males. Lorna was beaming at them when they approached the table. It was only when she got closer that Piper actually paid attention to the other girls sat on the table. The girl sat next to Lorna had blond bushy hair and big brown eyes- Piper recognised her as the number 4 who had been show boating at the soccer game. Next to her was a short dark girl that Piper didn't recognise. Lorna introduced them as Nicky and Poussey. Polly sniggered at the second girl's name resulting in a cold glare from Poussey.

An awkward silence enveloped the crowd. Looking around the table Piper noticed that they still hadn't been introduced to one of the girls. A tall dark haired girl was sat at the end of the table. Her beautiful pale skin accentuated her bright green eyes that were bordered with big black framed glasses. Her dark hair fell way past her shoulders in loose curls. She was wearing a black t-shirt that was rolled up at the sleeves. The girl looked up at Piper- who blushed when she realised she'd been caught checking out the stranger. The dark haired girl smirked when she witnessed the reaction she had on the blonde girl staring back at her.

"Vause, refill?" Nicky stood up and gestured towards the coffee bar, the dark haired girl fought to drag her eyes away from the blonde in front of her but reluctantly followed her friend to the bar.

"Was that the soccer captain?" Polly asked, "Alex wasn't it?"

Lorna nodded in response as her eyes followed Nicky's every move.

Piper took a seat next to Poussey. Piper decided that she liked Poussey, they talked about her father's military career and her chest injury that had kept her out of the soccer team last year. When Alex and Nicky returned to the table Piper struggled to focus on what Poussey was saying, it was like Alex was demanding her attention without saying anything at all.

…

Piper's skin was golden brown, this together with her blonde hair made her blue eyes appear even more beautiful. She was wearing a white off the shoulder top, Alex was staring at her exposed neck when Nicky kicked her under the table.

"Hey Vause you might want to pick your jaw up off the floor before someone trips over it".

Alex smirked at her friend before distracting herself with the latte in front of her.

…

Lorna and Nicky exchanged numbers when they all stood up to say goodbye.

As they were about to leave the coffee shop Nicky suddenly stopped.

"Oh hey, I almost forgot! Vause is having a party tonight after practise, you guys wanna' come?"

"Of course!" Lorna replied enthusiastically before anyone else had the chance.

Piper glanced over at Alex who smiled back at her, the smile alone made Piper feel as though she had just received an electric shock to the chest.

Piper didn't know anything about this girl but suddenly Alex was all that occupied Piper's thoughts.

 **A/N- Thanks for the feedback so far it's greatly appreciated! Please keep reviewing and letting me know what you think. Next up: The Party- who's ready for one on one Vauseman scenes?!**


	4. Chapter 4

Infatuation-Chapter 4

Piper took a step back from the mirror. She sighed and smoothed out a crease at the front of her dress. She wasn't sure what you were supposed to wear to a college party, all she knew is that she wanted to look good and she did.

Polly had done her hair in loose curls which sat perfectly at her shoulders and she was wearing a black lace dress that clung to the shape of her body. Brooke and Polly were sat on Piper's bed taking sips out of a bottle of tequila.

"You look awesome, now get over here and take a shot- you're falling behind" Polly slurred from behind her.

Piper met Polly's eye in the reflection of the mirror and smiled. She turned around and took a long swig from the bottle of clear liquid. The fiery substance burnt her throat as she swallowed it, the feeling was welcome to Piper-it helped to distract from the bubbling pit of nerves that was slowly developing in the pit of her stomach.

"I can't believe we have actually been invited to a college party!" Brooke squealed. "That's, like, so amazing!"

Polly agreed before snatching the bottle of tequila off Piper and downing an impressive amount of it.

…

"It should be just around this corner", Lorna said. She peered around for a street name before looking down at her phone to check the address that Nicky had sent her earlier.

When the group of girls rounded the corner they could tell exactly where the party was taking place. Groups of students were migrating down the road towards a house that sat in the middle of the street. Walking closer the girls could hear the bass of the music that was radiating from the inside of the house. The big French style doors at the front of the building were propped open and mobs of people could be seen dancing and chatting inside. Lorna led the way towards the doors and into the heart of the party.

In the main foyer of the house a table had been set up with a game of beer pong eliciting a squeal from Polly who grabbed Brooke and ran to join the group of boys who were currently playing. Piper continued to follow Lorna into the living room where a dark girl with long pink dreadlocks was Djing on a small raised platform. It was struggle to get through the living room due to the dense crowd of students who were now filing into the house. Lorna turned around to check that Piper was still close to her and reached out for her hand. Thankful to have someone to pull her through the mass of people Piper clutched onto Lorna's hand until they emerged in the kitchen of the house.

"Lorna! Piper! Welcome to the Mad House"- Nicky was standing in the kitchen holding a tray of shot glasses that were filled with green liquid. "Just in time for the obligatory welcome shot". Nicky lifted the tray of shots towards the girls and raised her eyebrow. They took a shot glass each, tilting the liquid into their mouth. "Handled like true college students" Nicky laughed before putting her arm around Lorna and whispering something in her ear.

…

Alex had just managed to squirm away from a group of particularly touchy freshman girls and was on her way to get a well needed drink when she saw her.

"Holy fuck" she whispered under her breath.

Piper was by far the most beautiful thing Alex had ever seen.

That dress. It clung to Piper's small breasts, perfectly emphasising her slim waist and perfect ass.

Alex could no longer hear the music, nor the greetings that were being thrown at her by newcomers to the party- none of that mattered any more. All that mattered to Alex was this perfect specimen in front of her.

"What have I told you about that jaw Vause? You really are a safety hazard" Nicky lent against Alex's arm before taking a swig of the beer in her hand. Alex looked down at her friend whose eyes were dancing with amusement.

"She does look hot though, I'll give you that. Why don't you go and talk to her?" Nicky enquired.

"What… No way. What if I say something wrong?" Alex looked at her friend, eyes wide with bewilderment at the suggestion.

"Since when did you give a fuck about that?" laughed Nicky before sauntering off to find Lorna.

"She's right" thought Alex, she'd never cared about messing up with a girl before- she'd never had any shortage of girls to fall back on. This girl was different though, Alex could already tell.

…

"Piper, there you are!" Polly slurred before falling against her friend, her eyes were struggling to focus and she swayed as she spoke. "Those guys were verrryy good at beer pong. I'm a bit drunk", as she said this Polly took a step back knocking a short girl to the floor. Peering around to look at the result of her drunk behaviour Polly threw her head back and laughed whilst the girl struggled to regain enough composure to pick herself up. Piper hissed at Polly to shut up before offering her hand to the girl. The girl glared at Piper's hand in disgust before throwing the remaining contents of her cup into Piper's face.

The harsh burn of vodka in Piper's eyes forced her to back away from the girl and into the front of a stranger. Strong hands grasped Piper's shoulders from behind. "Hey, are you okay?" the hands belonged to a stranger with a sweet, raspy voice that immediately made Piper forget about the stinging sensation in her eyes.

Turning the blonde around Alex's heart flipped over, her beauty was frightening this close up. "Here, we need to go and wash your eyes- follow me", Alex clasped Piper's hand before gently pulling her up the stairs and towards a bedroom. She sat Piper on the edge of her bed before wetting a cloth in the bathroom and returning to dab at Piper's eyes.

"Is that feeling a little better?" Alex asked softly. "It's Piper isn't it?"

Piper nodded, she wanted to speak but the words were stranded at the back of her throat which was now dry with anticipation. Alex's face was lined with concern as she stared warily back at Piper.

Silence washed over the pair. Piper stood up and walked around the large bed room. The whole of the back wall was taken up by posters and photographs of soccer games. In the centre of the wall was a small cabinet littered with various medals and trophies. Piper turned around and looked at Alex inquisitively, "Are these all yours?" she asked- evidently impressed by the collection.

Alex nodded in response to Piper's question. She smiled, "Do you always snoop around stranger's bedrooms?" Alex asked teasingly.

"Do you always invite strangers into your bedroom?" Piper replied.

Alex raised her eyebrow and smirked at the blonde, visibly impressed by Piper's come back.

Piper continued to explore the photos on the wall. "Is this you?" Piper turned towards Alex before pointing to one of the photographs. The photo displayed a small girl grinning widely in a soccer kit that looked way too big for her, she was surrounded by women twice her size.

"Yeah" Alex chuckled. "I was ten in that picture". She sat down on the edge of her bed. "I used to play with my local women's team".

"So it's true then" Piper said, sitting down next to Alex on the bed. "You're kind of a big deal in the soccer world?"

"What… you don't recognise me from the TV?" Alex smirked at Piper before continuing; "I don't know what else I want to do with my life and I really fucking enjoy playing so I figured that's a good start".

Piper nodded in agreement.

"My mom always says that happiness is the route to success" Alex beamed.

"Your mom sounds like a wise lady."

"She is," smiled Alex.

"Do you miss her when you're here?" Piper asked, peering into the dark haired girl's eyes.

"More than anything" replied Alex, "Although it'll all be worth it right? What about you? Do you miss your mom?"

"Mehh" shrugged Piper. "I never really had a connection with my mom."

Alex nodded, not wanting to push Piper to continue unless she chose too.

"She always made me feel like shit you know? Like I wasn't good enough?"

"Well Piper, I may have known you for all of… hm.." Alex peered at the clock on the wall, "half an hour, but I can already tell that that's bullshit. You definitely seem like you're more than good enough to me".

As their eyes met Piper wondered if Alex also felt the desire that was currently manifesting itself in Piper's body. Something about Alex made Piper want to rip her clothes off and throw herself onto the dark haired girl.

Alex's eyes searched Piper's face for a sign that she was also thinking about the incredible spark that just flew between them as their eyes met. Alex dropped her eyes to Piper's lips and felt herself getting dizzy with desire as she imagined what those lips would feel like on hers. Alex moved her gaze from Piper's lips back up to her waiting eyes and slowly started to lean in towards the blonde.

Piper noticed Alex's advances and reciprocated by moving to meet her half way. She began to close her eyes as she eagerly anticipated the taste of Alex's mouth of her lips.

Alex reached up to pull Piper's mouth into hers when Polly stumbled into the room, making them both recoil in shock.

"For fuck sake Holly" Alex sighed out in frustration.

Polly looked up in confusion before she realised that Alex was talking to her. Polly looked expectantly at Piper who was practically glowing red, "Piper… tell her that my name is…" Just as Polly prepared to finish her sentence she lifted her hand to her mouth before turning around and being violently sick in the door way of Alex's room. Alex jumped up in disgust as Piper rushed Polly towards the bathroom.

After cleaning the floor of her room Alex peered sheepishly around the door of the bathroom, "Everything okay?" she asked. Piper was knelt on the floor with one hand holding back Polly's hair and the other hand rubbing circles across her back. Polly was whimpering quietly, her head hanging over the toilet. Piper looked at Alex, "I'm so sorry Al". Alex's heart felt like it was going to burst right out of her chest- Piper's nonchalant use of the abbreviation of her name filled her with an unreal amount of happiness.

"Give me your phone?" Alex asked Piper.

Piper removed her hand from Polly's back and reached into her clutch bag to extract her phone. She cautiously handed it over to Alex who tapped repeatedly on the screen before handing it back to Piper.

"Now you have my number you can make it up to me some time?" Alex suggested, raising her eyebrow in a way that set Piper alight inside.

"I'd like that", Piper replied.

"Me too", Alex beamed.

 **A/N- Hey everyone! Wow- I can't thank you all enough for your support/comments about this story! I'm loving writing it and can't wait to supply you guys with some Vauseman lovin'. Also thank you so much for your patience, I know that this is a slow burner but trust me I'll make it so worth the wait. I've recently made a twitter account for this fic where I can keep you guys updated with chapter progress and hopefully create some polls so you can have an input on what I write- I'm always open to ideas. Its Infatuation_CSC …thanks again!**


	5. Chapter 5

Infatuation- Chapter 5

 **Piper: How was practise?**

 **Alex: It was great thanks, did you miss me? ;)**

 **Piper: Obviously ;)**

 **Alex: It was thinking about me all hot and sweaty wasn't it?**

 **Piper: You're gross- go take a shower**

Alex smiled down at her phone before placing it on the bench next to her and bending down to untie the laces of her soccer boots. The ghost of a smile was still etched on her face as she pulled the boot off her left foot. She lifted her head up as Nicky walked into the changing rooms wrapped in a towel, her hair dripping onto the floor.

"Either you're still laughing at the fucking hilarious joke I told you earlier, or a certain blonde has just messaged you" Nicky teased.

"Suck it Nicholls," Alex said as she threw the sock she had just removed at Nicky.

Nicky laughed and threw the sock back at Alex before sitting down beside her on the bench.

"So what's going on with you guys anyway? I saw you sneaking upstairs with her the other night at the party" Nicky looked at Alex with a wicked grin.

Alex sighed, "Nothing happened, we just talked."

"No shit" Nicky laughed. "You didn't fuck her?"

"Nicky!" Alex exclaimed.

"What's the matter, you're a prude now aswell?" Nicky raised her eyebrow at her friend, a devilish smirk dancing across her face.

Alex glared at her friend before occupying herself with stuffing her soccer boots into her gym bag.

Nicky noted the serious look at Alex's face, "You like her don't you?"

Alex exhaled and looked up again, "I don't know".

The bushy hair girl looked back at Alex and tilted her head.

"Urgh, I don't know Nicky. I guess I do like her. But I hardly know her. Maybe she's straight. Maybe she's a complete psycho. Maybe she doesn't like me. Maybe I'm going to get my heart broken", Alex looked at her friend, sincere worry etched across her face.

"Those are all maybes dude, can't live your life according to maybes", Poussey chimed from across the changing room.

Nicky pointed over to Poussey and nodded in agreement before looking at Alex and winking.

Alex knew Nicky well enough to know she was telling her friend to go for it.

…

"You hate me don't you?"

"For the millionth time Polly, I don't hate you" Piper replied tiredly from over the top of her book.

"Urgh, I'm such an idiot" Polly groaned.

"Mmm" Piper hummed in agreement.

"I can't believe you actually spoke to Alex Vause" Polly mused.

At the mention of her name Piper discreetly placed her book down onto the window ledge and gave Polly her full attention.

"Why?" Piper enquired.

"She's only like one of the most popular girls in the whole college Piper, and she spoke to you! That's pretty cool" Poly chirped. "Do you think I embarrassed myself in front of her?"

"Well you did throw up all over her floor" Piper laughed.

Just thinking about that night was making Piper hot, she thought about the look of pure lust and desire in Alex's eyes are she moved closer to kiss Piper. She thought about how close Alex's lips had got to hers, how close she was to feeling them.

"Do you think it's warm in here?" Polly asked.

"What…I… why?" Piper stuttered.

"You look a bit hot that's all" Polly noted innocently before bouncing off the bed and out of the room.

…

Alex was lay on her bed, she had her phone held directly above her face and was attempting to watch videos of this weekend's soccer opponents. She sighed and rolled onto her stomach, her head was a confused mess recently and even soccer wasn't grasping her attention. Alex stood up and walked around her room, when she reached the window she dialled a number into her phone and pressed 'call'.

 **Al! Hey doll, how 'ya doin'?**

Alex breathed out a sigh of relief and smiled, it was so good to hear her mom's voice.

 **Alex: Hey mom. I'm fine just wanted to check in with you.**

 **Diane: Oh don't you worry about me, I'm fine! How's college going?**

 **Alex: It's good.**

 **Diane: Just good?**

 **Alex: I mean it's great, soccer's going great- I've made some more really good friends this year**

 **Diane: Oh that's great sweetie**

Alex fiddled with her sweater sleeve nervously before continuing.

 **Alex: Mom?**

 **Diane: Yeah?**

 **Alex: I need your advice**

 **Diane: You know these phone calls would be much easier if you just told me what was wrong to start with instead of all this small talk**

Diane laughed at her daughter down the phone, it wasn't that Alex didn't ever call for just a catch up but Alex's mother could always tell when she had something she wanted to get off her chest.

 **Alex: Well… I kind of met someone**

 **Diane: Ohhhh that's fantastic darling**

 **Alex: Well I say met, I've only spoken to her in person once**

 **Diane: Sometimes that's all it takes sweetheart**

 **Alex: I don't know what to do Mom**

 **Diane: Well, how did you feel when you spoke to her?**

 **Alex: Like there was nothing else in the world that mattered in that moment**

 **Diane: You have to do what will make you happy babe, I know you and I know that it takes a pretty special lady to make you come to your old mom for advice. Any girl would be lucky to have you their life.**

 **Alex: Thanks Mom, love you**

 **Diana: Love you too sweetpea, keep me updated.**

…

Piper and Polly were in their pyjamas watching Titanic on Polly's bed when Piper's phone buzzed. Piper glanced up at Polly to ensure she was engrossed in the film before looking down and checking her phone. She felt her heart leap up to her mouth as she peered down at a message from Alex.

 **Alex: Hey stranger**

Piper smiled proudly at the fact that Alex had messaged her first.

 **Piper: Hello there**

 **Alex: What are you doing?**

 **Piper: Watching Titanic with Polly -.-**

 **Alex: Cute, how's she feeling after the other night?**

 **Piper: Pretty embarrassed tbh aha**

 **Alex: Rightly so, she was a mess**

 **Piper: Haha, what are you doing?**

 **Alex: Lay on my bed bored haha**

Piper studied the message and tried to come up with a way to reply that was flirty but not desperate. As she was contemplating her reply her phone buzzed with another message from Alex.

 **Alex: Wanna play a game?**

 **Piper: Um, sure haha?**

 **Alex: OK, I'll ask you a question that you have to answer completely honestly and then you can ask me one?**

 **Piper: You're lame ;)**

 **Alex: Fine, go back to watching your sappy film with Holly ;)**

 **Piper: No, no come on then you go first**

 **Alex: Okay, umm… sunset or sunrise?**

 **Piper: Very strange first choice of question Miss Vause ;) but sunset. Okay favourite colour?**

 **Alex: Black duhh ;) favourite food?**

 **Piper: Obviously ;) I'm a sucker for pizza! Favourite animal?**

 **Alex: You're going for all the generic questions ;) but I'd probably go for a Lion!**

 **Piper: I'm new to this game- let me off! Your turn!**

 **Alex: You're getting into this aren't you? Haha, place you wanna' visit most in the whole world?**

 **Piper: Oooo that's a tricky one! Probably London, what about you?**

 **Alex: Hey, get your own question ;) but I really want to visit Paris**

 **Piper: Oo me too!**

 **Alex: How's Titantic?**

 **Piper: I haven't been paying attention, you're a good distraction ;) I think it's almost finished though!**

 **Alex: Well, what can I say ;) Okay it's my turn isn't it?**

 **Piper: Urm yeah, I'm slowly running out of questions anyway haha**

 **Alex: Will you go on a date with me?**

Piper read the messages over and over again. Was this really happening? She couldn't stop the goofy smile that was spreading across her face. _Play it cool Chapman._

 **Piper: Sure**

 **Alex: Yeah?**

 **Piper: Yeah!**

 **Alex: Awesome, how does this Saturday sound?**

 **Piper: Sounds perfect**

Alex gave herself a virtual pat on the back.

 _Well played Vause._

 **A/N- Hellooo! As always thank you, thank you, thank you for all your follows and reviews etc- I honestly love reading what you guys think! Once again I apologise for this being slow moving but I want to take my time before building up to the good stuff. I just wanted to outline my plans for this fic; I personally love fics that have lots of smut and fluffy Vauseman which is what I will be including in the chapters to come (brace yourselves). I want to try and keep drama to a minimum! This chapter is just a filler chapter so apologies for the poor content. WHO'S READY FOR A 1** **ST** **VAUSEMAN DATE?! As always feel free to drop your ideas to me via here or give me a follow on twitter- Infatuation_CSC**


	6. Chapter 6

Infatuation- Chapter 6

"I can't believe we're in here on a Saturday", Lorna sighed as she dropped her pen and stretched her hands out in front of her.

Lorna and Piper were sat in the library surrounded by empty coffee cups and open books. Their college workloads were slowly starting to increase meaning that Saturday's were now often spend in the library as opposed to at home nursing hangovers.

Piper finished the page she was reading and looked up from the colossal book layout on the table in front of her.

"Let's take a break" she suggested as she sat back in her chair and stretched her arms out above her head.

"Agreed, I'll get more coffee- it's my turn," Lorna announced, smiling sweetly at Piper before drawing her chair back and leaving the table.

Piper stuck a green post-it note to the top of the page she was on before gently shutting her book and picking up her phone. She looked down at the screen to see a message from Alex, they'd known each other for a few weeks now but Piper still felt a mix of surprise and pleasure whenever Alex messaged her. It was somewhat comforting to know that Alex was thinking about her enough to want to speak to her.

 **Alex: Hope the studying's going well. Still up for later?**

Piper smiled, Alex may be one of the most popular girl's at college but her evident vulnerability was endearing.

 **Piper: Yes, of course. I'm looking forward to it.**

 **Alex: Great! I'll pick you up at 6?**

 **Piper: Sounds good, see you later :)**

Piper wasn't lying, she was looking forward to their date but she was also terrified. She really didn't want to mess this up.

"You look deep in thought" Lorna chuckled as she slid a coffee cup across the table towards Piper.

Piper looked up and smiled slightly at Lorna before clasping the cup with both of her hands and raising it towards her lips to take a sip.

"You thinking about tonight?" Lorna asked innocently, her lips curling slightly into a soft smile.

"What… I… What about tonight?" Piper stammered, already feeling the heat rushing to her cheeks.

"You're seeing Alex aren't you, that's what Nicky said?" Lorna looked genuinely confused by Piper's flustered state.

"Well I… yeah I am" Piper confessed.

"Lucky ducky! How are you feeling?"

Piper contemplated brushing off the conversation about Alex but there was something endearing about Lorna that made Piper believe that she was trustworthy.

"A little afraid" Piper admitted. "Just don't want to mess up something that hasn't properly began, you know?"

Lorna nodded understandingly.

"I've never been on a date with a girl" Piper murmured shyly, staring down at her coffee cup as she spoke. "Not that her gender is important or anything. I just don't know if I'm… gay."

"You don't have to be anything Piper, just happy", Lorna reached across and placed her hands on top of Piper's before smiling across at her.

Piper grinned at Lorna. "Thank you Lorna, I really mean it".

"Don't sweat it, now let's get back to work so we can get done here and get you all dolled up" Lorna replied.

…

"I just can't believe it okay?"

"Nicky, I said just drop it" Alex rolled her eyes at her bushy haired friend.

"I just can't believe that you, Alex Vause, are taking a girl on a date. An actual date. I mean what the fuck is happening. Next Voldermort will be knocking on the door trying to sell Girl Scout cookies" Nicky stated in disbelief.

"Aren't you happy for me?" Alex laughed.

"I mean of course I am, but shit… I just can't believe it", Nicky looked over at her friend in amusement. "Seriously though Vause, you look awesome. Have a great night okay? Send Chapman my love." Nicky winked at Alex before leaving the room.

Alex looked in the mirror and took a deep breath.

 _Come on Vause you can do this._

Alex looked at herself in the mirror, she was wearing black jeans with rips on the knees and a black vest top which dipped down to reveal just a hint of cleavage. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she contemplated her first ever date.

Alex set off on the short walk to Piper's dorm. There was a slight breeze in the night air but it was a comfortable temperature. Alex's brain buzzed with activity as she went through the plan for the evening again and again in her head. As she reached Piper's area of campus Alex pulled out her phone.

 **Alex: I'm about 2 minutes away :)**

Piper replied almost immediately, making it obvious that she had been waiting for a sign that Alex was close by.

 **Piper: Awesome, I'll come down to meet you.**

Alex exhaled and psyched herself up for her imminent reunion with Piper. She looked down at herself one more time to check that her appearance hadn't dramatically changed since she left her house.

"Isn't it my job to check you out?" Piper had appeared from around the corner and was eyeing Alex amusingly.

"Well, there's an offer I'd never decline" Alex quipped back.

She took a step forward so that she could better take a look at Piper. Alex breathing faltered. Piper looked stunning, her hair was braided and lay effortlessly over one shoulder. She was wearing black leggings and a grey top that covered her arms and fell down to cover the tops of her thighs.

"Wow… You look so beautiful Piper", Alex exhaled.

"You don't look so bad yourself" Piper replied, she was trying desperately to downplay the compliment that Alex had served her.

"Why thank you. So then m'lady are you ready to join me on our first date?" Alex suggested as she bent her knees slightly, bowed her head and offered her hand to Piper

Piper laughed as she took Alex's hand.

"So what do you have planned for tonight?" Piper asked as Alex intertwined their fingers together.

"Now, that is a secret. Just trust me, okay?" Alex smiled towards the blonde before stroking Piper's index finger with her thumb softly.

Piper hummed her agreement and smiled shyly at the floor.

They walked for a few minutes in a silence that wasn't at all uncomfortable- the physical contact between them acting as an unspoken communication that they were both happy.

They had reached the soccer stadium when Piper broke their silence.

"We're going to play soccer?" Piper questioned.

"Not quite" Alex laughed, "I'm going to show you something".

As they reached the turnstiles Alex let go of Piper's hand and ducked under the barriers. She smiled from the other side and held her hand out- gesturing for Piper to join her. The blonde looked around uncertainly before following Alex under the barrier and into the heart of the stadium.

Piper followed closely behind Alex as they crossed the soccer pitch and started to ascend through the stands. As they reached the top of the stairs Alex stopped abruptly causing Piper to collide awkwardly into the back of her. Alex spun around and held her little finger out to Piper.

"What are you doing?" Piper queried.

"You're about to visit a very special place so before we enter I'm going to have to ask you to pinky promise that you're not going to tell another soul about its whereabouts", Alex smirked as she further extended her little finger towards Piper.

Piper looked at Alex questionably before sighing and lifting up her little finger.

"Okay, I promise" she laughed.

Alex locked their little fingers together before grabbing onto Piper's hand again and leading her to the edge of the stadium. They reached a fire exit which Alex pushed open, letting Piper enter first before following and shutting the door behind her. The door led to a small platform on the outside of the stadium, steps led down to the ground and a rusty metal ladder led to the roof.

"Please don't tell me we're going up there" Piper laughed.

"Uh huh" Alex confirmed as she led the way up the ladder. "This also is the perfect opportunity for you to check out my ass, which I know you've been dying to do".

"Very well thought out plan" Piper replied as she gazed up at Alex swiftly making her way up the ladder and onto the roof.

When Alex was firmly on the top of the stadium she gestured at Piper to climb up and extended her hand out to help steady Piper on the roof.

"Now close your eyes" Alex instructed.

Piper complied, although her mind and heart were both racing as she tried to figure out what it was that Alex had planned. Alex let go of Piper's hand before moving behind her and holding onto her shoulders in order to guide Piper to their final destination. When they stopped Alex let go off Piper's shoulders and Piper could sense her moving away.

"You can open" Alex spoke out quietly.

Piper open her eyes and scanned her surroundings. They were stood on a flat section of roof that ran perpendicular to the half way line of the soccer pitch below. The sky made an amazing back drop as the sun had just begun to set leaving an array of pinks, purples and oranges in its wake. On the roof of the stadium lay a tartan picnic blanket with two large cushions.

Piper looked across to Alex who was nervously biting her bottom lip whilst trying to gage Piper's reaction.

"Is this all for me?" Piper whispered.

Alex nodded.

"Al, I don't know what to say… this is breath-taking."

Alex smiled at Piper before taking her hand once again and helping her to take a seat on one of the cushions.

"You hungry?" Alex asked.

 _Surely she doesn't have food up here too?_ Piper thought. She nodded all the same.

"Good" Alex replied, she bobbed out of sight for a second before returning with a bag. "I had a friend drop some supplies off just before we got here".

Alex took a seat on the cushion next to Piper before opening the bag and pulling out a pizza box. She placed it on the blanket between them.

"Open it?" Alex asked, her green eyes filled with amusement.

Piper obeyed and slowly opened the box. Inside was a mouth-watering looking pizza which was split with an array of toppings straight down the middle. On the top half of the box was a message written in black marker pen. ' _I hope this first date isn't too cheesy- gettit?'_

Piper laughed before looking over to Alex, "You're ridiculous".

Alex smiled and shrugged her shoulders in response, she grabbed a slice of pizza before laying back on the blanket and admiring the sunset. Piper copied her and they both sat in silence for a few minutes devouring their first pieces of pizza.

Piper propped herself up on her elbow and peered across at Alex, "I can't believe you went to all this trouble" she said.

Alex looked across at Piper, "Do you like it? I wanted to make it something you would remember. I know you like pizza and I know you like sunsets so…" Alex gestured to their surroundings, "Pizza and sunset".

"The perfect combination"- Piper joked back. "You know this is the first place I saw you right?"

Alex raised her eyebrow at Piper, "Really?"

"Yeah, I was probably stood directly underneath where we are now" Piper laughed.

"Wow, I mean I obviously knew that which is why I chose this spot," Alex looked across to Piper and laughed.

Piper joined in the laughter before sitting up to take another piece of pizza. "So why did you choose this spot? We could have had pizza and seen the sunset anywhere?"

"True, but I love it up here. Whenever I have a bad game or I need time to think I head up here and think about all the amazing times I've had in this very place. The majority of my happiest memories are in this stadium and when I was thinking about where I wanted to take you on a first date I thought that this would be another happy memory to add to this place. So next time I'm sad I can head up here and think about how happy I was in this moment, with you".

Piper's heart felt as though it was it was going to explode, she had never ever been treated like this before. Her eyes scanned Alex's face for any sign of humour but there was none, Alex was being sincere. Piper scooted across to Alex and lay down next to her, resting her head on Alex's chest. Alex found herself wondering if this evening was even real life anymore- she hadn't imagined it would go this perfect.

After around 15 minutes of blissful silence Alex spoke up "Watching the day turn to night like this reminds me of camping with my mom."

Piper could hear the smile in her voice at the mention of her mom.

"We used to go camping out in the country every summer. We used to take a small tent- only just big enough for the two of us. We'd take long walks in the day and go swimming in the lakes and then at the night time we'd just lay outside and watch the sky for hours and hours."

Piper looked up at Alex's face which was etched with wonder from her sudden bout of nostalgia.

"That sounds amazing" she smiled. Seeing Alex look so happy sent shockwaves of emotion through Piper.

"Al?" Piper looked up into Alex's face.

Alex drew her eyes away from the setting sun and looked into Piper's blue eyes. She smiled softly and tucked a strand of blonde hair behind Piper's ear.

"Yeah?" she replied quietly.

"Tonight was perfect, thank you."

Alex looked down at Piper whose face was glowing in the fading sun, her blue eyes were filled with evident gratitude. Alex brought her hand down to Piper's cheek and stroked in softly with the tips of her fingers. Her skin was soft and warm, the touch of it sent sparks of electricity from Alex's finger tips to her chest. Alex watched with satisfaction as Piper's eyes partially closed as a result of her touch. Alex continued to caress Piper's cheek before cupping her chin gently and bringing their faces closer together. Piper opened her eyes and stared up into Alex's, her eyes flitting between Alex's eyes and lips. Piper could feel Alex's heart hammering against her chest and they scanned each other's faces waiting for someone to make the first move.

Piper gave in first as she brought her hands up to guide Alex's head closer to hers. She moved slowly, her lips smiling slightly before they became connected with Alex's. Piper felt as though fire was burning through her entire body, she ran her hands into Alex's hair as their lips met for the first time. Alex felt passion rock her body as she put all of her efforts into concentrating on what Piper's lips felt like on hers. After a few seconds the pair parted and lay with their foreheads touching, their eyes locked on each other.

"Your welcome" Alex whispered.

 **A/N- I hope this chapter was everything you were all hoping for! I had so much fun writing it- I apologise for the severe sappiness but I love writing things like this! Once again thank you, thank you for all your support- I love nothing more than hearing what you think about each chapter so please feel free to leave a review/ message me/ follow me on Twitter- Infatuation_CSC . Stand by for the next update- plenty more Vauseman to come!**


	7. Chapter 7

Infatuation- Chapter 7

"So you've finally learnt how to pick up your phone then? I was beginning to forget I had a daughter!"

Piper had been avoiding a phone call with her mother since she got to college a month ago, she was instantly reminded of why when she picked up the phone to the woman's screeching voice.

"Hi Mom."

"So no apology for the lack of communication then? Honestly Piper you would think it was a crime to speak to your mother every once in a while. You haven't been _gallivanting_ with any of the wrong type have you Piper darling? I know how easily led you can be".

Piper fiddled with her hair impatiently, remembering exactly why she had been ignoring her mom's calls for so long.

"Piper! Are you listening to me? It really is important that you network at college like we've talked about. I was speaking to Danny last week and he agreed with me, college is a great opportunity to meet business contacts. Professors will know everything about the banking industry Piper, if you get in with the right group of academics your success will have no limit."

Piper sank down on the edge of her bed and remembered what it was that Alex's mom had said about success; _Happiness is the route to success._ The blonde exhaled sadly, if only her own mother had the same view on life as Alex's mom. Carol hadn't even asked her how college was going, if she'd settled in alright, made friends- all her mother was concerned with was how much pride Piper was going to bring to the Chapman name.

After promising that she would ' _try harder'_ to try and fit into the ' _correct academic crowd'_ Piper hung up the phone feeling deflated and worthless. Her mother always managed to make her feel like a huge disappointment, she left Piper feeling small and vulnerable.

…

Piper was curled in a tight ball on her bed when Polly entered.

"Piper?" Polly gently touched her friend's shoulder. Piper jumped slightly at her touch, swiftly wiping her eyes and nose on the back of her hand. She spun around to face Polly who had now sat down next to Piper on the bed. Piper's eyes were red and swollen, her cheeks were stained with tears.

"Oh my god, Piper what's wrong?!"

"It's nothing" Piper lied. "I'm just missing home, that's all". It was so much easier to lie to Polly, she would probably think that Piper was being silly for crying over her mother's harsh words.

"Aww, Piper. It's okay" Polly rubbed the blondes shoulder reassuring. "Everyone gets days like this, the key is to keep busy. "

Piper nodded and sat up on the bed, wiping the final tears off her cheeks. She looked at Polly reassuringly and realised that her friend was wearing a lot of make-up. She was wearing fake eyelashes that made her brown eyes pop, her lips were a bright red colour and her hair was tightly pulled back and tied with a big bow.

"Polly! You made the team?!" Piper exclaimed.

"That's what I came to tell you! Brooke and I are heading down to the basketball game tonight to meet the rest of the team and get introduced to the crowd, you HAVE to come!"

"That's great Polly, but I don't know if I'm up for it tonight" Piper replied shaking her head.

"Oh come on Piper. Those hot guys are coming with us- the Australian guy, Pete, was definitely checking me out during the whole of cheer trials earlier", Polly jumped up of the bed and waltzed around the room. "Oh and his friend, Larry, is super sweet- I told him that you were single and that I'd introduce you guys tonight."

Piper sprang up off the bed, "You did WHAT?"

"Relax Piper, he's so nice and hot too. It'll be good for you to meet a nice guy."

"Polly, I am not going to meet this Larry guy- not tonight at least! I'm not in the mood to mingle- no matter how _hot_ he is."

"Fine. But don't think I've forgotten about this, I'll plan a double date for us soon!"

Piper rolled her eyes but before she had a chance to reply Polly was already out of the room and shouting down the corridor that she hoped to see Piper at the game.

Piper lay back onto her bed and grabbed her phone, there was only one person she wanted to talk to right now. She dialled Alex's number.

" **Hey kid, wassup?"**

Piper smiled down the phone and was shocked by the tears of relief that she felt upon hearing Alex's voice.

" **Al..."** Piper's voice broke off.

" **Pipes? What's wrong? Is everything okay?"** Alex sounded panicked, the genuine concern in her voice made Piper's heart swell.

" **Yeah everything's fine, I've just had a shitty evening that's all. I just wanted to hear your voice"**

Alex laughed. **"Well I'm glad I could be of service. What are you doing?"**

" **Nothing, just laying on my bed"**

" **Well now my imagination's going wild"** Alex laughed and Piper could just picture the smirk on her face.

" **Why don't you come out with us tonight?"** Alex asked.

" **Who's us?"**

" **The usual suspects; Me, Nicky and Poussey are going to watch the game- our friend Boo is playing"**

" **Oh, I don't know- I don't want to intrude"**

" **Don't be silly you wouldn't be intruding! Nick, can we take a detour to Piper's to pick her up?"**

Piper heard Nicky's voice in the background, **"** _ **Sure, I was going to ask you the same thing about Lorna."**_

" **Awesome, that's that then",** Alex confirmed.

" **Okay, so I'll see you soon I guess"**

" **Yes you will, and you can tell me all about your shitty evening and I will do my very best to turn it around for you"**

Piper smiled, **"I'd like that".**

" **Me too"**

…

"There she is!" Nicky ran past Piper and swept Lorna into her arms.

"Nice to see you too Nicky" Piper laughed before making her way towards Alex. Alex smiled at Piper before putting her arm around the blonde's shoulders, pulling her closer to Alex's body. She planted a soft kiss on the top of Piper's head.

"You alright kid?" she murmured into Piper's hair discreetly.

Piper nodded in response and looked up into Alex's green eyes- "I am now."

Poussey walked into the hallway to the two couples embracing, "Ah shit, no-one told me this was some double date type shit tonight."

Nicky laughed, "It is and you and your right hand complete the equation, now come on lets go"

Poussey shook her head "That was harsh man", she shoved Nicky playfully before leading the way out into the night.

Lorna and Poussey skipped hand in hand ahead of the group followed by a disgruntled Nicky. Piper and Alex fell to the back of the group, laughing at the other girls. Alex kept looking down at Piper as though checking that she was still okay, she didn't want to push Piper into telling her what was wrong- instead she chose to intertwine her fingers with Piper's and give her hand a reassuring squeeze. Piper squeezed back and smiled up at Alex.

"Hey, love birds- don't you agree that I look better with Lorna than Nicky does? I think it's the height similarities personally" Poussey shouted over her shoulder.

"Who cares about height when you're named after female genitalia" Nicky retorted.

"It's _POUSSEY_ , accent a droite- bitch!"

"Yeah whatever you say" Nicky laughed, Alex and Piper had caught up with the group now as the discussion changed to what the worse name in the world would be.

"I know someone called Potato Chip" Lorna chirped.

The group set about laughing, "I think that's probably a nickname babe" Nicky laughed before putting her arm around Lorna sweetly.

When they reached the small sports arena it was bustling with people.

"Yo, AV- nice to see you" a tall, dark guy with a hat on put his fist out to Alex who tapped it with her fist in return.

"Who was that?" Lorna laughed.

"No idea," Alex replied- seemingly not fazed by the fact that a stranger knew who she was.

As they walked into the arena, the majority of people they passed shouted out their greetings to Alex, Nicky and Poussey.

"Hey, Capt. Hope you're ready for the season to start next week"- someone else yelled to Alex.

Piper was no longer holding onto Alex's hand but just by her being beside Alex she was also subject to friendly smiles and greetings from fellow students. The girls filed through the entrance to the main sports hall, making their way to take their seats. A large blonde man wearing a neon security jacket was guiding newcomers into available seats, he smiled widely when he saw the girls approaching.

"Hey O'Neill- how's it hanging big guy?" Nicky asked as she gently tapped the man's stomach.

"You got space down the front for five of us Sammy?" Alex asked.

The security guy stepped onto his tiptoes to peer at the seats on the edge of the court. He looked back around and scanned the girl's faces as if judging their eligibility to have the privilege of court side seats.

"Sure thing" he smiled. "But I expect the favour returned at the next soccer game"

He summoned over a young sheepish looking guy and instructed him to show the girls to the "best seats in the house". The group thanked O'Neill before following the young guy to their courtside seats.

"This is amazing," Piper said to Lorna who sat down next to her as the other girls went to get snacks. The band who were playing at the soccer game on the first night of college were performing in the middle of the court as both teams warmed up around them.

"Lorna! Piper!" Polly was running towards them wearing a white uniform that showed more skin than it covered. "You guys got courtside seats, what the fuck?!"

"I know, how awesome!" Lorna echoed. "You look great".

"I know, I'm so excited. But really, how did you manage to get these seats?" Polly asked in disbelief.

"They're with celebrities that's why" Nicky smirked as she slotted herself between Piper and Lorna. "Isn't that right Vause?"

Alex handed Piper a drink that smelt roughly like paint stripper, "Exactly right", Alex replied before raising her cup and downing the contents.

"You guys realise you're not allowed alcohol in here right?! Where did you get that?" Polly enquired.

"Relax Holly, last I remember you weren't reserved when it came to alcohol"

The group laughed as Polly huffed and went back to parading around the edge of the court.

"Where _did_ you get this?" Piper asked curiously.

"I know a guy" Alex smirked.

"Of course you do" Piper laughed.

…

By the end of the first quarter Piper's cheeks were aching from laughing so much, Nicky had spent the whole game so far orchestrating chants from the crowd and initiating a huge arena wide Mexican wave- much to the girl's amusement. Thanks to her efforts Nicky had the crowd jumping, creating an amazing atmosphere inside of the arena.

Alex made her way back over to the group with a tray of cups full of the strong liqueur, she was greeted with cheers from the girl's as they each grabbed a drink from the tray. Alex held her cup up and everyone else mirrored the action "to friendship", she looked across at Piper and raised her eyebrow before downing the contents. Piper didn't know whether it was the alcohol but something about Alex tonight was setting her alight inside, she could hardly concentrate on the game with Alex next to her.

"She can't her eyes off you y'know?" Nicky whispered to Alex.

"Who Piper?!"

"Yes dummy! She's been practically drooling over you all evening"

Alex tried hard to fight back a smile.

"What's happening to us Vause?" Nicky laughed, "We're turning soft"

…

When the game finished Alex and Nicky's friend Big Boo joined the group in the stands, "What's this some sort of dyke parade?" she asked.

"Something like that" Alex laughed, "Boo, this is Piper. Piper, this is Boo".

"So you're the one who's tamed Vause then?" Boo smiled, "Well if it all goes tits up you know where to find me" Boo winked at Piper and then gave a thumbs up in approval to Alex.

Alex moved towards Piper and put her arm round her shoulders pulling her close, "In your dreams Boo".

"True," Boo replied. "There's a huge party going down at one of the frat houses, you guys in?"

"You don't even need to ask Boo you know we're there" Nicky stated, high fiving Boo.

"You okay with that Pipes?" Alex asked Piper who nodded eagerly in response.

"That sounds great!" Piper replied.

…

Piper and Lorna had head back to their block to freshen up slightly before setting out for the frat party- Nicky, Alex, Poussey and Boo were already at the party waiting for them.

"You know, it's crazy to think that I was upset a few hours ago" Piper stated.

"And now we're on our way to a frat party!" Lorna slurred, linking her arm with Piper's.

"Exactly," Piper agreed. Her head felt light with the effects of alcohol, herself and Lorna giggled and staggered slightly as they made their way down the street.

"I don't know what's going on with you and Alex, Piper. But if you ever need to talk about any of it- I would be happy to listen" Lorna presented sweetly.

Piper lay her head on Lorna's shoulder as they walked- "You're the best" Piper said.

…

When they reached the frat party the girl's grabbed hold of each other excitedly.

There was beer pong game set up in the front yard that had attracted a small crowd of people. Looking up Piper realised that the windows of the top floor of the house were open and that students were actually attempting to get the ping pong ball in the cups of beer from out of the windows. She laughed and pointed this out to Lorna, "I won't need three guesses to figure out who's idea that was" Lorna replied. Sure enough Nicky was one of the people hanging out of the window. Lorna shook her head before laughing.

Making their way inside of the party Piper saw a group of people dancing in a huge group. Her and Lorna grabbed a cup of punch and joined the makeshift dance floor. They grabbed each other's hand and started to bounce up and down to the beat of the music. The bass was pounding in Piper's ears, reverberating through her body. She downed the contents of her cups and continued to dance when Boo and Poussey joined them. Lorna and Piper squealed in excitement when 'Mr Brightside' came on, Boo and Poussey rolled their eyes but soon joined in shouting the lyrics.

…

"These parties will never get old man" Nicky slurred.

"Cheers to that" Alex replied, lifting up the bottle of tequila in her hand and taking a swig before passing it to her friend.

Nicky drank for a few seconds before lowering the bottled and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, "C'mon, let's go find our girls."

…

Alex saw Piper as soon as she entered the room, one of her hands was holding Lorna's and the other one was in the air- her body was swaying sexily to the beat of the music. Alex stopped and inhaled, Piper never ceased to take her breath away.

Nicky looked across at Alex and smirked before winking at her. The bushy haired girl walked across to the pair dancing and grabbed Lorna's other hand pulling her around into an embrace. Following Nicky's lead Alex walked confidently up to Piper and grasped her hand before walking through the crowd and outside into the backyard. Alex led Piper away from the small groups of people gathered outside and around the side of the building.

"Al... are you okay?"

Before Piper could investigate this strange behaviour further Alex had turned around and pinned Piper against the outside wall of the house. Piper's hands intertwined themselves into Alex's hair as she pulled her face closer. Alex reciprocated by pressing her body against Piper's before their lips crashed together. Alex's hands grabbed Piper's face as she tried to get her body as close to Piper's as physically possible. Piper let out a soft moan at the contact on her body which was quickly absorbed by Alex's mouth. Alex's stomach flipped and desire filled her at the sounds that Piper was making. Alex ran her tongue along Piper's bottom lip before biting it softly. Piper let out another moan slightly louder now before capturing Alex's lips again, their tongues fighting for dominance in the kiss.

This kiss was completely different to the one they had shared on this first date, this was a kiss filled with pure passion and desire.

They pulled away simultaneously in order to catch their breath. Alex looked down at Piper whose eyes were partially closed, her cheeks were glowing red and her soft lips were slightly swollen. Alex ran her forefinger slowly over Piper's lips before planting a soft kiss on them. "You look so beautiful" she whispered.

 **A/N- First of all I apologise for how long it's taken me to update this- I've had a crazy week at work. I have so many ideas about where I want this story to go and I'm so excited to continue! Secondly, thank you for your amazing support, I love reading all of your comments/reviews they spur me on/motivate me to write even more. Please let me know if you have any ideas for the story etc. Thanks- C.**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Well hey there stranger"

Piper looked up from her book, she was sat at the window seat in her room when Lorna entered.

"Lorna!" she exclaimed, jumping up and engulfing her friend in a big hug.

"How have you been?" Lorna asked as she withdrew from Piper's embrace and looked up at her friend with shining brown eyes.

"Yeah, fine! How was it being home?"

"Oh it was amazing, my family love Nicky! I knew they would but it's such a relief!" she smiled. "I feel like I haven't seen you in ages- you need to update me!"

"On what?" Piper laughed.

"Oh come on Piper don't play dumb with me- Alex!"

"Shhh" Piper shushed her, before rushing to the door and closing it. "Polly's in."

"So?" Lorna asked, obviously confused.

"She doesn't know about Alex"

Lorna sighed and rolled her eyes; "Piper…"

"I know Lorna, if I like her I should have nothing to hide- I'm just not ready to tell people yet".

Piper knew she liked Alex- she'd never felt this way about anyone before, but she was so afraid of what these feelings meant, they meant that she had to question everything she thought she knew about herself. She was confused.

"Have you seen her since the party?"

Piper shook her head.

"But you guys were inseparable that night?"

Piper nodded. "I know, I just don't want to rush things"

"So you're pushing her away?"

Piper sighed, "I'm not pushing her away Lorn, I'm just giving myself time to think"

Lorna nodded, "Okay, well you know where I am if you need to talk it through". As Lorna turned her back to leave the room the door flew open and Polly burst in.

"Oh hey" she stated to Lorna before continuing to advance towards Piper a look of wild excitement on her face.

"What's up?" Piper asked.

"Pete wants to go out with me tonight!" she shrieked.

"That's great" Piper replied, falsely smiling at her friend.

"But he's bringing his friend, Larry"

Piper threw her head back tiredly, "Pol…"

Polly grabbed Piper's arm; "Please Piper I am begging you". Polly's eyes were wide with plead.

"Fine" Piper sighed.

Polly squealed with glee whilst Lorna, who was still stood in the doorway, shook her head sadly at Piper before leaving the room.

…

"Do I look okay?" Polly asked for what felt like the hundredth time.

"Yes Pol, you look great"

"Okay" Polly exhaled before turning around to face Piper. "Shit Pipes, you're going to give Larry a heart attack wearing that dress"

Piper was wearing a black dress that clung to her body and fell just below her knees. She laughed at her friend.

"I don't know about that"

"Honestly Pipes can you imagine us both going out with guys who are friends? This could be the first double date of many!" Polly said with a massive grin on her face. "Oh my god, we could have a joint wedding".

"Okay seriously, stop it!" Piper laughed. "Let's get this meal out of the way first before we start planning weddings."

…

"Piper, I'm so nervous".

The girls were stood outside of the restaurant waiting for Pete and Larry to arrive, the air was getting cold and Piper was bouncing on her toes lightly to keep warm.

"Relax Pol, it'll be fine"

Polly inhaled sharply and grabbed hold of Piper's arm; "There they are!"

Piper looked down the street at the two guys walking towards them. Pete was considerably taller than Larry and confidence exuberated from him even when he was just walking. He had light hair that was slightly curly and it perfectly matched his tanned skin. Piper admitted to herself that he was good looking. Larry looked extremely nervous, he was wearing a grey sweater which made him look sweet, almost vulnerable. Piper found herself smiling at him reassuringly as though to let him know that she wouldn't bite.

"Evening ladies" Pete stated in his Australian accent, he bent his knees slightly and held out his hand towards Polly before placing a kiss on the hand that she had given to him.

"Hiya, I'm Larry" said the darker haired boy. "Sorry that greeting sounded even more boring compared to Pete's"

"Don't worry" Piper laughed. "I much preferred it".

"You're just jealous" Pete winked at Piper before opening the restaurant door open and gesturing for the girls to enter.

…

"Oh look bud, they do apple pie here" Pete said innocently before looking up from his menu and smirking at his friend.

"Fuck off" Larry said, his eyes wide with what Piper interpreted as fear.

"Relax sport, I'll save that one for the second date" Pete winked at Larry.

Larry let out a visible sigh of relief before turning to Piper and continuing his conversation about his dreams to become a lawyer. Piper thought Larry was nice enough, he was charming and funny but there was something about being here with him that made her uncomfortable- it wasn't where she wanted to be. Yet here she was.

…

"I'm going to eat my entire body weight in burgers" Nicky grinned, as she lent against the wall waiting for Alex to put her shoes on.

Alex looked up at her friend and laughed, "Don't forgot we have training tomorrow."

"This is our last team cheat meal Vause- we have to make the most of it!"

Their soccer coach Bennett had allowed them one last meal out as a team before the season began the following weekend, he was serious about them getting to national finals again this year.

Poussey appeared rubbing her hands together, "I can't wait to get me some chicken wings".

"There's a surprise" Nicky murmured earning a sharp jab in the ribs from Poussey.

"Right" Alex said standing up and sliding her glasses down from her head to rest on the bridge of her nose. "I'm ready".

"Awesome, the rest of the squad are meeting us there" Nicky said before leading the way out of the house.

…

"The star players have arrived" Nicky shouted, flamboyantly holding her arms out wide as they approached a large round table full of their team mates.

The group laughed collectively as the three girls took their seats.

"Let's order I'm starving!" Alex said.

The team ordered before starting their excited chatter about the prospects of the coming season.

"We've honestly got such a great chance this year guys" Alex stated. "I know a lot of us are serious about breaking into the national team, if we take that ambition onto the pitch with us we'll be flying!"

"I don't know capt, I have a friend who studies down at Bartford University and she said that their team have been training every single morning- seems like they aren't going to give up their title without a fight", said Vicky- one of the defenders in the team. The team murmured in agreement.

"Well we're just going to have to up our game then" Alex said confidently before taking a sip of her drink, "We're better than them and we have something that they don't- we're all friends. They all fucking hate each other."

"Hear Hear!" Nicky echoed. "Vause is right guys, this season is all about mentality."

"Let's crush them" a player called Janae said before banging the table with her fist.

"Calm down Watson" laughed Nicky. "Save it for Saturday".

"National scouts will almost definitely be at our games this year!" one of the girls chirped excitedly.

"Do they disguise themselves or some shit?" Poussey asked.

"I think they literally just go and sit with the fans so you'd never know they were there", Alex answered before thanking the waiter who had just placed her food in front of her.

"Just means we have to play every game like they're watching" Nicky added before picking up the massive burger in front of her and attacking it with her mouth.

The group went quiet whilst they devoured the mountains of food in front of them.

…

"I regret eating that already" Nicky said before leaning back in her chair and grasping her stomach.

"That's what happens when you got eyes bigger than your fucking belly" Poussey laughed.

"Shut it pussy" Nicky retorted.

"That's your only fucking response to anything, at least I don't look like one of those fucking toy trolls"

Whilst the group laughed Alex stood up declaring that she was going to the bathroom.

Alex made her way to the stairs of the restaurant, shouting out greetings to strangers as she went. She was climbing the stairs when she heard a sudden burst of laughter.

"You fucking said you wouldn't say anything! On a date as well you jerk!"

"I'm sorry pal, but you know I can't resist that story"

It sounded to Alex like the British sounding guy had just threw his nerdy looking friend under the bus. Alex laughed to herself before continuing to walk towards the bathroom. That was until she heard a laugh that made her heart flip, the sound that she had fast grown to love, the sound that now made her feel sick knowing that it wasn't her causing it.

It was Piper. Piper here on a 'date' without her?

She looked over again and her stomach dropped as she saw the familiar blonde looking back at her, the ghost of a laugh still on her face. Alex stared at Piper before dropping her eyes which were now filling with tears of anger.

…

Piper's heart felt like it completely broke in half when she saw the look of complete sadness on Alex's face. The dark haired girl swiftly turned away from Piper and made her way back down the stairs of the restaurant.

"Al!" Piper shouted as she jumped up from her seat and ran down the stairs after her.

Alex continued to walk at a brisk pace right past her table, her team mates looked round in confusion as the blonde following her repeatedly shouted her name.

"Shit" muttered Nicky, looking across at Poussey uneasily.

"Alex.. .wait" Piper panted as they exited the restaurant.

Alex spun around, her face a picture of devastation.

"Just leave it Piper"

"Al, just tell me what's wrong?"

"You really have to ask? I thought you liked me and…"

"I do like you!" Piper interrupted.

Alex rolled her eyes.

"I do! Polly just dragged me along to this double date"

"Well why didn't you tell her that you liked me?"

"Because I…" Piper stopped.

"Because you're scared of what people would think?"

Piper said nothing, tears starting to fill her own eyes now.

"Maybe you should decide what you really want Pipes, before this goes any further" with that Alex turned and continued to walk down the street.

Piper didn't follow her, tears streamed down her cheeks as she watched Alex walk away.

…

Piper couldn't face returning to the restaurant, she couldn't face the questions and most of all she couldn't face admitting that she had seriously hurt the person who was starting to mean more to her than anyone else.

She started to walk aimlessly, not aware of where she was going or how long she was walking for. The look of hurt on Alex's face was providing a haunting image in Piper's head. She found herself unlocking the door to her dorm block before she even registered that she was ready to go back.

Piper entered the corridor of rooms and made her way towards her bedroom. She had just perched on the edge of her bed when Polly burst in.

"Piper, what the fuck was that about?"

Piper didn't look up at her friend, she just continued to stare at the floor in silence.

"Piper!? You've just completely abandoned me and you have nothing to say for yourself?"

"Can you get Lorna please?" Piper spoke quietly.

"I… what?!" Polly stood for a moment, waiting for a response. She laughed in disbelief at Piper before leaving the room.

A few moments later someone lightly tapped at the door before letting themselves in. Lorna approached Piper gingerly before sitting down next to her on the bed and reaching out for her hand. Piper clutched onto the offered hand and rested her head on Lorna's shoulder. Her body rocked slightly as she sobbed, Lorna stayed quiet as she ran her spare hand through Piper's hair.

"You're going to s…say I t…told you so aren't you?" Piper spoke out between sobs.

"Noo" Lorna shook her head. "Of course I'm not!"

"I've fucked it all up Lorn" Piper said sadly.

Lorna didn't say anything, she just squeezed her friend's hand.

"I don't know what to do", Piper looked up at Lorna- she looked fragile and vulnerable.

Lorna let out a small sympathetic sigh. "She needs space Piper, I think you upset her pretty bad"

"You heard what happened?"

"Nicky rang me just before you got back. What do you want to happen next?"

Piper stayed quiet for a moment, "I j..just don't know Lorn"

"I think Alex has a point then Pipes, you need to get some space- take a break from this place and figure out what you want".

Piper nodded before her body was attacked by sobs again.

…

"You alright kid?"

Bill pulled his daughter into a hug and squeezed her lovingly.

Piper drew back from the hug and nodded up at her father, her eyes were swollen and she looked far from "alright" but her father didn't point that out.

Piper walked around to the passenger side of the car and climbed in. She pulled out her phone and wrote out a message to Lorna.

 **Piper: Hey Lorn, my dad just got here- I'll only be gone a few days. I'll keep you updated.**

Piper pressed send and sat back in her seat. The last time she had been in this car it was the day she had first laid eyes on Alex. Her eyes filled with tears at the memory as Bill started the engine and pulled away onto the main road. The journey passed in complete silence, Piper noticed that Bill would occasionally glance over at her to check she was okay before returning his gaze to the road.

…

"She's going home for a few days to get some space" Lorna said as she read Piper's message.

"Mmm" Nicky hummed in recognition of what Lorna had just told her.

"What's wrong?" Lorna asked.

"I just hate seeing Alex like this, so distant and… just so… broken", Nicky stared at the ceiling. Lorna could see Nicky's eyes glistening with the threat of tears. She'd never seen Nicky like this before.

"Is she still bad then?"

"Bad is an understatement, she won't speak to anyone. I just hope that this situation sorts itself out"

Lorna nodded; "Love will always find a way Nick".

 **A/N- Going to give you guys an immediate update to apologise for the drama in this chapter!**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Piper was woken by the harsh blare of sunlight streaming into her room. She reluctantly turned over to find the source of her sudden discomfort.

"Good morning Miss Piper, your mother said you are not to sleep in past 10am- I am sorry to wake you like this".

Stood at the window of Piper's room was Miss Claudette- the family housekeeper. She was a plumb dark lady who had been working for the Chapman family for as long as Piper could remember. Piper was relieved to see that it was her and not her mother. She smiled up at Miss Claudette.

"Thank you Miss Claudette"

The house keeper nodded kindly at Piper before retreating out of the room and gently shutting the door behind her.

Piper looked around her old room, it felt cold and bare without any of her possessions in it. The previous evening she had faced a barrage of questions from her mother about why it was she had decided to return home all of a sudden. Piper had tried to play it down and pretend that she had been feeling homesick but she knew her mother saw through her lies. Piper also knew that she needed to get her head straight fast, there was no way Carol would let her miss more than a days' worth of classes.

Clambering out of her bed, Piper grabbed her phone and realised that it was already 11 o'clock- she smiled fondly realising that Miss Claudette had let her sleep in. She stretched before pulling off her pyjamas and reaching for the ripped jeans and university tee shirt she had stuffed in her backpack the night before.

The house was strangely quiet when Piper walked down the stairs. She turned towards the large kitchen and braced herself for another onslaught of abuse from her mother. Instead she found Miss Claudette flipping pancakes at the stove. They smelt delicious.

"Ah, Miss Piper- just in time. Brunch is served." She smiled as she piled the pancakes onto a plate and placed them in front of Piper.

"My experience tells me that you could do with some pancakes."

Piper grinned and nodded up at Miss Claudette.

"Enjoy" she winked at Piper before returning to the stove to wipe down the surfaces.

Piper's appetite soon returned as she stared at the heap of pancakes in front of her- she grabbed her knife and fork and hungrily attacked the first lot of food she had eaten since her disastrous double date more than 24 hours ago. When Piper finished her pancakes she placed her knife and fork together on the plate- the sound of the clattering cutlery indicated to Miss Claudette that she was finished. Miss Claudette turned around and smiled at the empty plate.

"Your brother is in the garden, Miss Piper"

Piper smiled surprised; "He is?!"

Miss Claudette nodded.

Piper jumped up excitedly before making her way to the French doors at the back of the kitchen and out into the garden. She spotted her younger brother at the bottom of the garden surrounded by wood. Piper smiled before making her way over to him.

Cal lifted his head just before Piper reached him.

"Dude! You're actually back?! I thought Miss Claudette was having one of her funny turns again when she said she heard you last night!"

Piper laughed before hugging Cal.

"What are you doing out here?" Piper asked.

Cal looked at the wood surrounding him; "Isn't it obvious Pipes? I'm building a Hedgehog Hotel"

Piper shook her head laughing, not wanting to question her brother.

"I should really be asking what you're doing here" Cal said raising his eyebrow in a questioning fashion.

Piper sighed before staring down at her feet.

"Come on" Cal said, putting down the piece of wood in his hand.

Piper looked up at him. "Where are we going?"

"For ice cream" Cal said causally.

…

"So are you going to tell me what's really wrong?" Cal asked before putting a heaped spoon of chocolate ice cream into his mouth.

"It's nothing" Piper said.

"Pipes, you willingly left college to come home to our dysfunctional family. It doesn't seem like nothing to me. You don't have to tell me… but you can"

Piper sighed loudly; "Ok fine. I met someone at college."

"Wow Pipes, isn't that what college is for" Cal laughed.

"No," Piper said. "I met someone I like… someone I really like."

Cal scooped more ice cream onto his spoon and nodded. "So what's the problem?"

"I messed it up" Piper said sadly.

"So fix it?" Cal said shaking his head. "You know Pipes for a college student you're not very clever."

"It's not as simple as that Cal."

"Well, I guess it just comes down to whether this person is worth the fight? It's pretty clear that whilst you're here you're accepting that you've lost them- when actually you should be proving to them that you're not willing to just give up."

Piper stopped swirling her ice cream and looked up at her brother. Cal was right, she was sulking and feeling sorry for herself when she should be fighting for Alex. Suddenly Piper had no question about what she wanted. She jumped up.

"Cal you're so right! I should be fighting for her."

Piper's face dropped slightly as she realised that she had just confessed that a girl was the subject of her affection. She scanned her brother's face for a reaction.

Cal just looked back at Piper and smiled.

"Let me finish my ice cream and I'll give you a ride back to college?"

…

Alex was the last to enter the changing room following the pre match warm up. The girls didn't say anything as she approached. Instead of speaking out she made her way over to the docking station that was located in the middle of the changing room. She fiddled around for a few minutes before putting a song on and turning it up loud to block out the noise of the awaiting crowd.

"I don't need to do a big speech today, just listen to the lyrics"

Alex took a seat on one of the benches around the edge of the changing room as Fall Out Boys 'Centuries' started to blare out around the room. As the girls listened their faces grew from questioning to focused.

 _We'll go down in history, remember me for centuries_

When the song came to an end the girls jumped up and starting shouting encouragement to each other.

"Let's do this!" Nicky shouted before patting Alex on the back and leading the way out of the changing rooms.

Alex followed, adrenaline ran through her body as she left the changing rooms and turned left into the tunnel and out into the heart of the stadium. As the team ran out, cheerleaders lined the edge of the pitch, as Alex lifted her hand to wave at the crowd she turned around and saw Polly who glared back at her- this only further ignited the fire in Alex's chest. Alex bellowed at her team mates to gather around, they obliged and created a huddle in the middle of the pitch.

"This is our year okay? We're better, fitter and stronger. Let's leave this pitch knowing that we couldn't have done anymore. Let the show begin!"

The girls put their hands in the middle of the huddle and pulled back yelling "LITCH".

The crowd exploded with sound as the teams set up for the start of the match. Alex put her hands on her hips and shut her eyes as she tilted her head up towards the sky. Nicky looked over and recognised Alex's pre match ritual, when Alex opened her eyes Nicky was still looking at her.

"You good Vause?" she shouted.

Alex put her thumb up to Nicky in return, "Let's do this".

…

"When you chipped the keeper, man that was so fucking sick" Watson said swatting Alex on the arm with every syllable as she followed her into the changing rooms.

"Vause you fucking legend" Nicky yelled as she ran and jumped on Alex's back.

The rest of the team noisily filed into the changing room shouting out praise at each other.

"Ladies!" Bennett yelled as he walked into the centre of the room. He took his cap off his head and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't think I actually have the words for how awesome this team is anymore" he said shaking his head. "I hope to God that there was a scout out there today- that national team is not going to know what hit it."

The girls cheered, unused to such praise from their coach.

"Party at ours this evening!" Nicky yelled.

"No drinking though please" Bennett yelled over the cheers before shaking his head once more and leaving the changing room.

"Even that couldn't dampen my mood right now!" Nicky smiled at Alex.

…

"Lorna?"

"Piper? Hello?" Lorna shouted.

"Lorna, where are you? You don't sound very clear" Piper pressed the phone harder against her ear trying to figure out what Lorna was saying.

"I'm just walking back from the stadium, it's mayhem here"

"Oh shit, the game," Piper said throwing a hand to her forehead in frustration. Cal looked across at his sister uncertainly before returning his eyes to the road. "Fuck, I completely forgot. How did they do?"

"Oh Piper it was amazing!" Lorna gushed, "They all played so well."

"And Alex?" Piper asked quietly. "How was she?"

"She was played phenomenal Pipes"

Piper smiled proudly down the phone.

"Are you in a car?" Lorna asked inquisitively.

"Oh, yeah! That's why I called Lorn- I'm on my way back. Will you be in when I get back? I wanted to talk to you."

"Yes, of course- I'll wait in for you! See you soon".

Piper hung up the phone and smiled to herself before looking over at her younger brother. "Thanks for this Cal."

"Don't sweat it Pipes, this Alex chick better be worth it."

"Trust me, she is".

…

Piper and Lorna were making their way towards Alex and Nicky's house for the celebration party. Piper was wearing a pale pink lace dress that Lorna had meticulously picked out for her. When Piper had been stood in front of the mirror pinning up her hair Lorna had turned her back and fired a quick text to Nicky.

 **Lorna: Nick, I'll be there soon- Piper's back and she's coming with me- don't say anything but find Alex.**

"Lorna are you sure about this? I'm so nervous."

Lorna spun around and grabbed onto Piper's hands; "Piper Chapman, you snap of it right now!"

Piper struggled to hold in a laugh as Lorna tried her hardest to be serious with her friend.

"There is no way I'm going to let you back out now, come on!" Lorna kept hold of Piper's hand as they continued to walk towards the house. When they reached the house Lorna entered first before smiling over her shoulder at Piper reassuringly.

Piper lifted her head to return Lorna's smile and was met by Polly striding towards her.

"Piper. I didn't know you were back? I think we need to talk, don't you?"

Piper opened her mouth to reply before she caught her first glimpse of Alex over Polly's shoulder. Piper felt her heart beating rapidly, the sound was filling her ears.

"Piper?" Polly asked.

Lorna looked from Polly to Piper questioningly before looking behind Polly and seeing the source of Piper's silence. Lorna was about to jump in and respond when Piper started to walk away. She walked straight past Polly not even looking to her direction- much to Polly's dismay. Piper was walking straight for Alex, who was now stood alongside Nicky watching the approaching blonde. Piper stopped in front of the pair.

"Evening Chapman" Nicky smiled.

"Nicky" Lorna hissed as she grabbed Nicky's arm and pulled her away.

"Hey" Piper said quietly.

"What are you doing here?" Alex asked.

"I came to see you" Piper said, slightly taken aback by Alex's tone. Silence enveloped the pair once again. "Congratulations on the game", Piper added.

"Thanks" Alex said followed by another awkward silence. Alex rolled her eyes, "Look, did you want to go somewhere to talk?"

Piper shook her head. "I can say what I need to say to you here."

Alex looked around warily as people began to notice the awkward encounter between the two girls.

"Ok…" Alex said uncertainly.

Piper sighed. "Okay, look… I'm sorry for the whole double date situation, I was a shitty coward".

Alex smirked slightly at Piper's description of herself before straightening her face again and looking at the floor.

"But then I'm also not sorry... because by being a shitty coward I've managed to figure out what I really want"

Alex looked up from the floor once more and met Piper eyes causing the blonde's heart to flip.

"Which is you… I want you Al"

"You do?" Alex asked, vulnerability evident in her voice.

Piper nodded; "More than I think I've ever wanted anything before".

Alex took a small step towards the blonde before raising her right hand and reaching up towards Piper's face. She softly held the blonde's face before pulling Piper towards her lips. Alex hesitated slightly, looking down into Piper's eyes- which smiled back at her. As their foreheads rested together Piper placed her hand over Alex's before gradually moving her face so that their lips met. People gasped slightly before wolf whistling and cheering at the girls kissing. Piper was no longer aware of anything other than Alex. Their kiss was soft and slow, both girls revelling in the taste of each other.

Lorna and Nicky looked across at each other and high fived.

"I feel like a proud parent" Nicky gushed as she put her arm around Lorna and planted a kiss on top of her head.

When Piper and Alex's lips separated Piper smiled shyly.

"I'm glad you stopped being a shitty coward", Alex said before pulling Piper back into a kiss.

 **A/N- Okay so I owe you guys an apology for how long this chapter took for me to publish and also for the drama! I promise that this will be all the drama for the while- I hope this chapter lives up to expectations. Any feedback is appreciated as always, I absolutely love hearing what you all think! Finally, thankyou thankyou thankyou for all of your support.. I am LOVING writing this story :D I think you guys are going to really love what I have in mind for the next chaper ;) Big love- C**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Come on then Vause, dish the dirt" Nicky said as she hung upside down over the edge of the sofa throwing a tennis ball up in the air and attempting to catch it.

"There's no dirt to dish Nicky" Alex laughed as she sat cross legged on the chair opposite to Nicky.

"You know what I mean Alex, is she good in bed? Chapman I mean? I bet she is" Nicky mused as she threw the tennis ball in the air again.

"I wouldn't know" Alex replied.

Nicky swore violently as the tennis ball fell through the air and hit her on the nose. She pulled herself onto the sofa and spun around to face Alex, her brown eyes were wide with disbelief.

"You _still_ haven't slept with her? No fucking way!"

Alex shook her head; "Nope". She smiled genuinely at her friend.

"Why do you look so happy about that?"

"Because sex isn't important right now Nicky, we just want to get to know each other and see where things go"

Nicky stood up and shook her head, "Oh my god, I don't even know who you are anymore"

Alex laughed before launching one of the cushions from the chair at her friend. Nicky caught the cushion and picked up the tennis ball that was still rolling around the living room floor.

"So things are good between you two now then?" Nicky asked as she took a seat on the sofa once again.

Alex nodded. "Things are good" she smiled. "Really good actually."

Nicky smiled; "I'm glad, I guess that means I have to let her off now for temporarily breaking your heart?"

Alex laughed, "Yes, it does mean that. Plus she didn't _break_ my heart" Alex added defensively.

Nicky smirked; "Hey, I'm not complaining! I've never seen you play as well as you did that game! Maybe Piper should shack up with a guy more often".

Alex raised her middle finger at her friend before starting to laugh.

Nicky smiled at Alex's laughing fit, it felt good to see her friend so happy again.

…

"How many words are you on?" Lorna asked as she rolled over on the grass and stretched her arms out by her side.

"3,000, half way there" Piper sighed before placing her laptop down on the ground in front of her and leaning back on her elbows.

"Urgh, this is so boring- I thought college was supposed to be fun" Lorna moaned as she lifted her phone above her head and tapped out a message, she chuckled to herself before putting the phone back on the grass.

"What's funny?" Piper asked, smiling at her friend's infectious giggle.

"Oh, it's just Nicky being silly" Lorna replied, rolling over again so she was now on her front facing Piper.

Piper grinned and nodded. "Can I ask you something Lorna?"

Lorna smiled at her friend and nodded; "Of course".

Piper sat up straight and lowered her voice; "How long was it before you and Nicky… you know?" Piper's cheeks were practically glowing red as she looked at Lorna with wide anticipating eyes.

Lorna smiled sweetly; "Until we slept together?"

"Well… yeah" Piper replied as she awkwardly brushed her blonde hair out of her eyes.

"It's okay Pipes, you don't have to be embarrassed. It was probably about a week after we met"

Piper nodded slowly.

"Why do you ask?" Lorna enquired.

Piper sighed. "I've never done this before Lorna, this is all new to me- I want to take it slow and make sure I'm completely comfortable before me and Al get to that point. Well, _if_ we get to that point."

"Pipes, relationships move at their own pace. There's no right or wrong time to have sex with someone, you'll both know when the timing is right- don't stress yourself out over it" Lorna smiled.

"What if I'm not enough for her?"

"Piper you can see from the way that she looks at you that you are more than enough for her, now stop being silly" Lorna smiled reassuringly before returning her attention to the essay in front of her.

"You're right" Piper replied, though not sounding convinced.

The pair fell back into comfortable silence as they began tapping away at their keyboards again.

They had been sat outside on the grass for the best part of two hours, both Piper and Lorna found that moving study locations helped them to concentrate when they had a big essay due in. The campus grounds were particularly empty with only a few other students studying in small groups. There was also a small gaggle of girls playing with a soccer ball not far from where Piper and Lorna were lay. One of the taller girls overestimated the power she placed on her kick of the ball resulting it in rolling to a halt just next to Piper.

Piper jumped as she noticed the ball in her peripheral vision. She turned around in the direction the ball had come from and grinned as she saw Poussey running towards her.

"Yo Freshman" Poussey smiled as she picked up the ball.

"Hey Poussey" Lorna grinned as she looked up from her laptop once again.

"Hey guys I'll catch up with you later" Poussey yelled over her shoulder before placing the ball back on the ground and sitting on top of it.

"What's going on A-Team?" Poussey asked as she spun the cap on her head around cooly so it was now facing backwards.

"Oh nothing we're just studying" Piper smiled.

"Urgh boring" Poussey yawned jokingly.

"Do you not have work to do?" Lorna laughed.

"Nah" Poussey over exaggerated the shake of her head. "Soccer is more important, yano?" She winked at the girls and patted the ball that she was currently sat on. "Surprised you two could drag yourselves away from your girls long enough to study".

Lorna and Piper grinned back at Poussey. "It's truly heart-breaking to have been separated for a whole day but I'm sure we'll cope" Lorna replied.

"What can we say, we're strong women" Piper added.

"Too right, you must be strong to handle those two" Poussey laughed. She stood up and started to kick the soccer ball against a nearby tree.

Piper and Lorna returned to their work as Poussey occupied herself with the soccer ball, occasionally taking a break from her relentless barrage on the tree to make a joke at the girls' expense. Piper had blocked out the persistent tapping of the tree but was distracted from her work when 'Single Ladies' blared out from Poussey's direction. Lorna chuckled and turned to face Poussey; "I never had you down as a Beyonce fan".

Poussey gasped and pretended to clutch at her heart "How dare you question my loyalty to Queen Bey" she laughed as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and smirked before lifting it to her ear.

"Speak to me, Nicholls"

Lorna looked up at the mention of Nicky's name.

Poussey smirked before becoming distracted by what Nicky was saying at the other end of the phone.

"Shit really?!" Poussey asked causing both Lorna and Piper to exchange worried glances.

Poussey rubbed her forehead whilst worryingly passing the soccer ball between her feet.

"Yeah, I'm on my way now" Poussey hung up the phone and looked at the two girls.

"Everything ok?" Piper asked.

"Yeah, Bennett just called round the house to say we have an emergency team meeting, Nicky thinks that the scout report is in from last week's match." Poussey picked up the soccer ball and placed it under her arm.

"It'll be fine" Lorna encouraged, "You all played great, I'm sure it'll be good news."

Poussey smiled at the two girls, "I've never heard of scout's giving feedback after just one match before- I'll speak to you two later though?" Poussey spun her cap around again so it was facing the right direction before setting off in a slow jog across the campus green.

Piper glanced at her phone and sighed at the blank lock screen, Lorna glanced across at her friend looking equally worried, "They'll be fine Pipes".

…

Nervous chatter filled the changing room when Alex entered. The whole team was sat on the benches around the edge of the room, it felt strange to see the girl's in this room in their casual clothing. Bennett was perched on a table at the front of the room and nodded politely at Alex when she entered. He was wearing his usual attire, a navy tracksuit and white baseball cap. He was young for a college soccer coach and so got on with all the girls remarkably well whilst still managing to keep the relationship between them professional.

"Alright ladies, I think that's everyone. Nicholls… the door please"

Nicky stood up nervously and swung the door of the changing room shut- it closed with a bang sending the room into an uncomfortable silence.

"Right, firstly I apologise for pulling you all in like this but I received a phone call this morning from Chicago, turns out a national scout was present at last week's match"

Nicky nudged Poussey, who was sitting next to her, and murmured "I told you".

"Less of the anxious faces girl's you all impressed. The report has gone directly to the national team coach who will be keeping a very close eye on you all from now on. Every game will have a scout present - without a doubt. Every single one of you is on the national team's radar and I couldn't be prouder" Bennett enthused.

The tension in the room seemed to lift at once as all of the girl's beamed and starting chatting excitedly between themselves.

"Man, you almost gave me a freaking heart attack Bennett" Poussey laughed.

"Yeah, Benny- could you not have messaged us that?" Nicky added.

"Sorry ladies, I wanted to tell you all face to face and don't think that this means all your hard work is over! Saying that I've cancelled training this afternoon as a treat but tomorrow we're back to it twice as hard. Enjoy the rest of your day!"

The girls clambered to their feet and started to file out of the changing room. Nicky patted Alex on the back before moving past her out of the door.

"Vause?" Bennett shouted above the din.

Alex spun around to face her coach.

"Can I have a quick word?" Bennett asked, motioning for Alex to sit back down.

…

"Ooh, Nicky's ringing" Lorna exclaimed as she sat up on Piper's bed.

The girls had made their way back to their dorms when the air had started to chill slightly. They were both proud of the progress they had made with their essays and were currently in the middle of a heated debate about whether to make sweet or salted popcorn to go with their evening of rom-coms.

Piper raised her head from her pillow and looked at Lorna questioningly. Lorna shrugged at her friend before lifting her phone to her ear.

"Hey Nick, we were getting worried that we hadn't heard anything"

"Hey Lorna, is Pipes with you?" Nicky asked.

"Yeah" Lorna said, before taking her phone from her ear and tapping the screen. "You're on loud speaker"

"Sweet, hey Pipes… listen, neither of you have heard from Alex have you?"

"What?! I thought you was with you guys?" Piper exclaimed, panic evident in her voice.

"She was, she was! But after the team meeting she got held behind by Coach Bennett and now no one can get hold of her"

"Well why did she get held behind?" Piper enquired.

"No one knows, I've rang her and texted her so many times but I can't get through. Pipes, do you have any idea where she could have gone?"

Piper fiddled with a strand of hair nervously before her eyes lit up with an idea.

"YES!" she exclaimed. "Yes, I do know where she might be! Let me go and look for her, Lorna will send you my number- ring me if you find her!"

Piper stood up from her bed and hurried towards her wardrobe, she pulled out the first jacket she could find and threw it on.

Lorna hung up her phone and made her way over to Piper. She placed her hands on Piper's forearm and looked into her eyes "don't fret Pipes, she'll be fine". Piper nodded and smiled before rushing out of the door.

The sun was fading despite it only been early evening and the air had a crisp chill to it. Piper shivered slightly before pulling the zipper of her jacket higher and speeding up.

…

She gasped slightly as her hands met the cold steel of the ladder leading to the stadium roof. She hauled herself up the last steps of the ladder and sighed aloud as she saw the figure of Alex sat cross legged in the middle of the roof.

"Hey stranger" Piper said calmly as she made her way toward Alex.

"Jesus Pipes" Alex breathed as she jumped and turned around to face Piper.

"I can go if you want" Piper said quietly. "I just wanted to know you were okay"

"Don't be silly Piper, you just scared me that's all"

Piper sat down next to Alex and followed her gaze across the soccer field.

"How are you?" Piper asked Alex warily.

"I'm good" Alex said, continuing to look across the stadium.

Piper decided it was best not to pry information out of Alex so they sat in comfortable silence watching the last rays of sun disappear behind the hills.

After a few moments of silence Alex spoke; "I've been invited to trials for the national team."

"What?!" Piper exclaimed. "Oh Al, that's amazing!"

Alex nodded, "Yeah, the whole team got put on a scout watch list but my name got handed straight to the national team coach who wants to see me play in person. I can't believe it. I just needed to come up here and get my head around it all. I'm sorry if I worried you."

"Oh my god, this is such great news! You must be so happy"

Alex laughed at the blonde, "Chill Pipes, anyone would think it was you who had the trial. But yes, I am very happy… even more so now you're here" she added before nudging Piper softly.

Piper nodded happily. "You may want to message Nicky by the way, she was pretty worried- who knew she was the caring type".

Alex laughed; "I'm on it" she said as she tapped out a message before leaning back on her elbows and shivering slightly.

"You cold?" Piper asked before moving closing to Alex and resting her head on Alex's shoulder.

"A little" Alex admitted before placing a kiss on the top of Piper's head.

Alex was lazily answering Piper's barrage of questions about the national team when her phone chimed. Alex looked at it and chuckled, "Looks like Nicky is throwing a bonfire party at ours, wanna' go?"

"Sure" Piper said, looking up at Alex who planted a soft kiss on her lips.

…

By the time Alex and Piper entered the house it was alive with activity. They entered the front room hand in hand and chuckled at the group of soccer girls performing a well-choreographed routine in front of the music station. The main lights in the room were switched off meaning the only source of lighting was the strobe lights coming from the large music set up. The girl with blue dreadlocks who Piper had learnt was called Trish was occupying the music station, fiddling with the various dials whilst laughing at the carnage happening below her. As they approached the kitchen the smell of burning wood grew stronger, Poussey was leading the way in a small game of beer pong that was being hosted across the kitchen island and waved as the girls entered.

"Vause!" Nicky ran up to the pair from the garden with two cups filled to the brim with orange coloured punch. "I swear to god if you ever run off like that again I will kill you!"

Alex laughed and accepted the cup from Nicky. Nicky smiled handing Piper the other cup.

Piper looked fondly at the pair before catching a sight of Lorna sat around the bonfire in the backyard. Piper looked across at Alex who nodded in a sort of unspoken confirmation of what Piper was mentally asking her.

"I'm going to go and find Lorna" Piper smiled, "I'll leave you guys to it".

"Thanks Chapman" Nicky added cheerily as Piper planted a kiss on Alex's cheek and made her way outside.

The air was bitterly cold making Piper shiver as she took a seat on a rickety garden chair next to Lorna.

"Hey stranger" Lorna said as she placed an arm around Piper and squeezed her lovingly. "All good?"

Piper nodded as she sipped at her punch. She coughed violently as she swallowed the liquid. "Oh my god, that's disgusting!"

Lorna laughed, "Three guesses as to who made that"

Piper spluttered as she placed the cup on the ground. "She's trying to kill me."

"She was so worried about Alex" Lorna said as she moved closer to the warm fire.

"Yeah, I know. I've left them to talk- I think Al owes her an apology for scaring her like that" Piper replied.

"We got ourselves keepers Pipes" Lorna smiled across at Piper, her face lit up orange by the falmes from the fire.

"Keepers? You wouldn't be talking about us now what you?" Nicky made her way in front of the fire and pulled up a chair next to Lorna.

Piper chuckled as Alex wrapped her arms around Piper's neck from behind and placed a kiss just below her ear- making Piper's lower stomach flutter.

"Piper wasn't a fan of your concoction" Lorna laughed.

"Well I think we all need to raise our cups of punch to ol' Vause here" Nicky said, lifting her cup and tipping it slightly towards Alex. "Just remember where you came from when you're famous eh?"

Alex laughed as she moved her chair closer to Piper and intertwined her fingers with Piper's. With her spare hand she lifted her cup of punch and 'cheers' with Nicky before grimacing as she swallowed down a large gulp of the orange liquid. She coughed slightly causing Piper to laugh whilst patting Alex on the back- "I told you it was horrible" she laughed.

"Jesus Nicholls, what the fuck did you put in here? Paint stripper?!" Alex spluttered.

The girl's all laughed whilst Nicky scoffed; "That's the last time I try to do anything nice for you fuckers."

Piper was resting her head on Alex's shoulder whilst laughing heavily when she felt Alex's phone vibrate against her leg- making her jump away from Alex. Alex chuckled and apologised before reaching for her phone and lifting it to her ear- she stood up and mouthed "Mom" before placing a kiss on Piper's head and walking towards the house.

"Yo, Chapman?" Nicky said as sat in Alex's now vacated seat.

Piper smiled in reply to Nicky's greeting.

"Thank you" Nicky said, placing a hand on Piper's knee.

"For what" Piper laughed.

"For making Vause so happy" Nicky replied simply. "She's my best friend- you have no idea how much it means to me to see her smiling"

Piper smiled softly and nodded at Nicky.

"She really likes you y'know? I've been here through a lot of girls- you're different I can tell. She just seems to light up when your around" Nicky slurred. "Usually with Vause it's more of a physical relationship, if you get what I mean? But with you, I can just tell she really really likes you. That's a big fucking deal Chapman."

Piper smiled at Nicky as she mulled over what her bushy haired friend had just said.

"Pipes, she's not bothering you is she?" Lorna laughed as she approached the pair with a glass of water in her hand. "Here" she added to Nicky, handing her the glass.

"Hey babe, that better be vodka" Nicky slurred, much to Piper and Lorna's amusement.

"I'm going to go and check Al is okay" Piper said, smiling at the pair before making her way back into the crowded house. She walked through the kitchen handing out greetings to the soccer girls as she went, she peered around the crowd gathered to watch the beer pong game before she caught Poussey's eye. Poussey smiled at Piper before pointing upwards with her finger, signalling to Piper that Alex was obviously upstairs in her room. Piper smiled as thanks towards Poussey before heading up the stairs towards Alex's room.

The door to the room was wide open and Piper could see Alex pacing around slowly with her phone pressed to her ear. Upon entering the room Alex smiled at Piper and signalling with her hand that she would be "one minute". Piper nodded and made her way towards Alex, Alex looked at Piper confusingly as Piper enclosed the space between them. Upon reaching Alex the blonde placed a soft kiss at the base of her neck causing Alex to gasp slightly.

"Y-yes… yes mom I'm fine"

Piper looked up to meet Alex's eyes before dipping her head and continuing to plant soft kisses along Alex's neck all the way up to her ear. Piper stopped her trail of kisses causing Alex to tense slightly in anticipation. Piper took a step back and smiled at Alex before turning and walking towards the door, Piper shut the door softly and turned back around to face Alex. Piper slowly pulled the zipper down her jacket and let it drop to the floor. She raised her eye brow at Alex suggestively and crossed her arms across her chest and clutched at the bottom shirt. Alex stared back at Piper in anticipation, Piper smirked as she lifted her shirt over her head and dropped it on the floor. Piper was now stood wearing only a navy lace bra along with her jeans, her toned and tanned stomach exposed. Alex's eyes were now firmly fixed on the blonde, she swallowed nervously before realising that she was still on the phone.

"Listen mom, I'll c-call you back." Alex hung up the phone and threw it onto the chair located in the corner of the room. Piper walked slowly towards Alex, stopping just in front of her.

"Pipes" Alex said breathily.

"Shh" Piper replied as she moved even closer towards Alex's face.

Alex placed her hands softly onto the warm skin of Piper's waist and led her slowly towards the wall. Piper's body was halted as she hit the wall, she gasped at the harsh temperature on her back as Alex put a hand through Piper's blonde hair and looked down into her bright blue eyes. "You're so beautiful" Alex breathed before crashing her lips against Piper's.

The kiss was passionate and raw, unlike anything that the two had ever shared before. Piper pushed off away from the wall and into Alex, Alex responded by pressing her body back against Piper's. The pair continued to push against each other as their tongues fought for dominance. Alex pulled away from Piper's mouth and trailed open mouthed kisses along her neck, licking and nipping at the skin as she went. Piper moaned softly in Alex's ear causing Alex to increase the pace and passionate behind each kiss. Piper grabbed Alex by the sides of the head and guided her back up to Piper's mouth, Alex intertwined her fingers with Piper's and lifted Piper's hands above her head. Alex removed her fingers from Piper's hand and trailed them softly down Piper's arms bringing them to a halt over the top of Piper's bra. Piper moaned again, spurring Alex on to lift the cups of the bra slightly and slip her hands underneath it. Alex lay her hands over the top of Piper's perky tits and felt her nipples stiffen against the palm of her hand. Alex continued to kiss Piper hard as she massaged her breasts softly.

Piper felt drunk on lust at the feel of Alex pressing against her. She had never been touched like this before and never wanted it to stop. She placed her hand under Alex's shirt and gently pushed her towards the bed, when Alex's legs met the bed she fell backwards into a seating position. Piper placed her legs either side of Alex's and sat on her lap as Alex continuing to touch Piper's tits. Alex grabbed one of Piper's nipples and tweaked it causing Piper to tilt her head back in pleasure. Alex attacked the exposed skin of Piper's neck with more kisses whilst still pinching and twisting Piper's nipple. With her free hand Alex reached around Piper's band and swiftly unfastened the navy bra, letting it fall to the floor- Piper brought her head level with Alex's and raised her eyebrow.

"I've got skills" Alex said smugly before bringing her lips to Piper's again. Piper shifted impatiently on Alex's lap, desperately trying to create friction in the place she needed it most. Alex chuckled before standing up and allowing Piper to wrap her legs around Alex's waist whilst still kissing her. Alex turning around so that she was facing the bed and placed Piper onto it before climbing on top of her. Piper shuffling back on the bed so that her head rested on the pillows, Alex pulled her lips from Piper's mouth and let the roam the blonde's body. Piper's breath hitched as Alex's mouth came dangerously close to her right nipple. Alex glanced up at Piper in recognition of the reaction her actions were having on Piper's body. Alex continuing to lick and suck the skin underneath Piper's nipple, kissing the swell of her breast, constantly aware of the fastening rise and fall of her chest. With each of Alex's movements Piper was feeling the overwhelming need for contact between her legs. Alex noted how impatient Piper was getting and decided to take her by surprise by sucking Piper's nipple into her mouth. Alex ran her tongue over the stiff nipple whilst continuing to suck it harshly, the difference between pain and pleasure was driving Piper insane.

Alex decided she'd had enough of teasing and unfastening the buttons of Piper's jeans, Piper obliged and wriggled her legs causing the jeans to fall off her feet and onto the floor. Alex's brought her head away from Piper's chest and back up to her face, she placed her hands either side of Piper's face and whispered "You're beautiful" before kissing her. Piper sank into the kiss and groaned softly, she placed her hand over Alex's and removed it slowly before guiding Alex's hand between her legs. Alex's hand met the lace of Piper's underwear, she stopped and looked up into Piper's eyes.

"Pipes, are you… sure about this?" Alex stuttered, pulling herself away from Piper.

"Shhh" Piper said, placing her hand over Alex's which was still between the blonde's legs. Alex eyes were forced shut with desire and she hand rubbed across Piper's underwear, Alex groaned deeply at as she felt her fingers coat lightly with Piper's arousal. Alex down at Piper's face and also came apart at the sight of he, she was clenching at the bed sheets with her free hand, her eyes forced shut and her mouth slightly parted with pleasure. Alex increased the speed of her rubbing and went took Piper's nipple back into her mouth, resuming the actions with her tongue. Piper writhed and squirmed beneath her as Alex disposed of Piper's pants and ran her long fingers swiftly through the Piper's wet folds.

"Ohhh" Piper moaned into Alex's hair as she bit down gently on Piper's nipple whilst simultaneously sliding one long finger into her.

Alex continued to suck the nipple whilst pushing her finger in and out of Piper with increasing speed. Alex slipped one more finger inside of the blonde and curled it upwards make Piper moan out. Whilst keeping up this rhytmn Alex used her thumb to gently trace circles around Piper's swollen clit. The sensation was enough to make Piper scream out and Alex could feel Piper shaking under her touch.

"Oh, Alex" Piper moaned as she lifted her hips towards Alex's touch to increase the pressure on her sex. Alex thrusted her fingers into Piper once more before the blonde fell apart beneath her. She called out in pleasure as Alex continued to push her fingers in and out of Piper as she rode out her strong orgasm.

When Piper's body had calmed down Alex withdrew her fingers and wiped them on the sheets before pulling her own body up next to Piper's. Alex raised her arm and allowed Piper to rest her head in the space created between Alex's arm and chest.

"You ok kid?" Alex asked before kissing Piper's head.

Piper nodded and turned her head up towards Alex's face to kiss her.

The pair lay in blissful silence for a few moments before Alex gave Piper another kiss to the head, "What do you say we go and toast my excellent fucking skills with some tequila?"

Piper laughed, "That sounds like a great idea."

Piper pulled her jeans back on and took one of Alex's soccer hoodies from the closet- Alex's heart skipped as she saw how beautiful Piper looked wearing her clothes.

The party seemed to have grown since the pair had been 'preoccupied' however they soon noticed that Nicky and Lorna were still sat outside around the bonfire. Nicky jumped up when she saw them approaching and pointing at them with both hands.

"Oh my god!" Nicky shouted.

"What?" Alex laughed.

Nicky looked first from Alex and then across to Piper who was blushing slightly.

"You two totally FUCKED" Nicky yelled.

"Jesus Nick, leave them alone", Lorna laughed nudging Nicky harshly. Nicky turned around and picked up her cup of punch. She lifted it in the air and held it towards Piper.

"Welcome to the club Chapman" Nicky slurred.

…

 **A/N- Yet again I need to apologise for not updating, I've had so much going on but I absolutely love this chapter. Thanks so much for the support, I promise I won't go away for so long this time. Let me know what you think! Big love- C x**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

"Jesus Al, how many pairs of soccer boots do you need?" Piper laughed peering into Alex's training bag.

"I need to be prepared Pipes, this is national trials! I don't want to fail because I wasn't wearing the right boots" Alex replied as she frantically searched through piles of clothes.

Piper watched and smiled as Alex found the pair of socks she had been looking for, only to sniff them, grimace and throw them in the corner.

"So I was thinking" Alex said as she lifted her duvet evidently looking for another misplaced item of clothing. "I might go to my mom's on Saturday and leave for Chicago straight from there. She holds this charity event every year so it would be great to support her with that."

Alex sighed triumphantly as she found her missing glove. She jumped onto the bed next to Piper and planted a kiss on her cheek before lying flat on her back, defeated by packing.

"What do you think?" Alex asked as she used her elbow to prop herself up and look at Piper.

"Mmm" Piper replied flatly.

"Wow Pipes, try not to bowl me over with your enthusiasm" Alex retorted jokingly.

"Sorry, I'm just going to miss you that's all" Piper replied as she turned towards Alex and gently grasped her hand.

"It's only a week Pipes" Alex laughed. "I'm sure you can put up without me for that long."

"I know but I…" Alex looked up at Piper expectantly, her heartbeat rising slightly as she did so. "I like spending time with you."

Alex chuckled, "I like spending time with you too". She planted a soft kiss on Piper's lips before getting up from the bed and picking a shirt up from the floor.

"Hey?" Alex said, turning towards Piper whilst folding the shirt. Piper looked up at Alex and raised her eyebrows inquisitively.

"Come with me?" Alex asked innocently.

"Al, I can't come to Chicago with you- this your big shot" Piper replied, her eyes wide with guilt at the suggestion.

"Not to Chicago, come home with me?" Even from a distance Piper could tell that Alex's eyes were filled with a mixture of hope and vulnerability.

"Alex, I… Are you sure?" Piper asked sitting up on the bed and crossing her legs nervously.

"Yes" Alex replied. "Piper I'm being serious, I want you to come with me". Alex made her way towards Piper and placed both of her hands on Piper's face. "Please?" she whispered as she brought Piper's mouth to hers and kissed her passionately.

"Ok" Piper replied as she withdrew from the kiss to draw breath.

"Is that a yes?!" Alex exclaimed, grabbing hold of Piper and hugging her tightly.

"Yes you pest" Piper replied as she squirmed on the bed trying to escape Alex's clutches.

….

Alex was staring out of the car window in a daze when her phone vibrated. The sudden buzz made her jump slightly. She glanced down at her shoulder where Piper was sleeping peacefully, Alex smiled and slowly lifted her arm free in order to reach her phone. Once the phone was firmly in her hands she gently put her arm back in the same position and allowed Piper's head to settle there once again.

 **Nicky: Have a great weekend A, have plenty of fun.**

Alex smiled, a new sense of excitement bubbling in her stomach as she prepared for the fact that her two favourite people would soon be meeting for the first time. Alex was brought away from her daydreaming by her phone vibrating once again.

 **Nicky: PS. By fun I mean sex… have plenty of sex.**

Alex laughed aloud causing Piper to stir. Alex looked down at the blonde next to her, Piper looked beautiful even when she was asleep. Her lips were parted slightly and her chest was rising and falling softly. Alex gently removed a strand of blonde hair from Piper's face and tucked it behind her ear.

"Hey? Pipes?" Alex whispered, causing Piper to push herself closer to Alex and groan slightly.

"We're almost here" Alex said. Piper opened her eyes slowly and repeatedly blinked at the bright lights.

"Here" Alex whispered, putting her hands over Piper's eyes. She slowly moved her hands further and further away from Piper's face allowing her eyes to adjust to the light.

"Thanks" Piper murmured sleepily. "Did you say we're here?"

"Nearly babe" Alex replied, watching as Piper sat upright and winced as she stretched her neck.

Piper's stomach started to churn as Alex lent between the two front seats of the car and gave final directions to the driver.

"Just this house on the right, with the red door" Alex called to the driver.

"What we're here?! Now?" Piper rushed as she pulled up the camera on her phone to check her appearance one last time.

"Chill babe" Alex said taking Piper's hand and squeezing it lovingly as the car slowed to a halt.

When the car stopped completely Alex looked out of the window and smiled at the familiar view of home. Alex climbed out of the car and winked at the driver as he opened the door for Piper causing her to shake her head and laugh. The driver proceeded to the back of the car where he retrieved the girl's bags and handed them over to Alex.

"Thanks man, I owe you one" Alex smiled to the driver.

"Don't mention it, any friend of Nicholls is a friend of mine" the driver returned. "Just remember me when you're famous" he grinned widely at Alex before shutting the doors of the car and climbing back inside.

"Here, let me help" Piper stated as she moved towards Alex and offered to carry a bag.

"Na uh" said Alex. "You're my guest now" she smirked cheekily before walking briskly up the garden path.

Piper watched Alex saunter up towards the house. She was surprised by how quiet the neighbourhood seemed, somehow she'd expected Alex to live somewhere wild and quirky- but Piper liked the look of this place. Alex's house was a modest size, the front garden was mostly paved over except for a small patch of grass and a flower bed that ran along the front of the house. Piper loved how happy Alex was just by being back here.

When Alex was about half way up the garden path the red front door opened revealing a middle aged woman. The woman was wearing dark blue jeans and a cream wool jumper. Her dark hair was tied up loosely, making her look effortlessly beautiful. Piper couldn't believe how much Alex looked like her mom.

"Hey stranger" the woman said, she had a slight southern twinge to her voice, she walked towards her daughter with open arms. Alex placed the bags on the floor and greeted her mom with a huge hug.

"Geez mom I can't breathed" Alex laughed. Once Alex's mom had finally released her grip Alex took a step back, rubbing her ribs vigorously.

"Mom, this is…"

"Piper!" The woman exclaimed as she greeted Piper with an equally big hug. "I've heard so much about you." Alex's mom released Piper and placed her hands on Piper's forearms, leaning back and looking at her adoringly.

"You're right," Alex's mom said she turned to Alex. "She is beautiful"

"Mommmm" Alex groaned as she placed a hand to her face.

Piper chuckled as she witnessed Alex blush for the first time. "It's nice to meet you Mrs Vause".

"Oh and polite too! Please call me Diane" Diane smiled. "Now come on in, it's cold out here."

Alex picked up the bags from the floor and led the way into the house, Diane smiled as she stood aside and allowed Piper to enter her home.

Piper glanced around the house, the front door led straight into the main living area of the house. The living room led directly into the kitchen, the surfaces were scattered with ingredients. The walls were painted a neutral cream colour but the room was lighted up by various colourful rugs, cushions and wall hangings. Piper smiled as she inhaled the smell that she had grown to love, it was a mixture of clean washing and cinnamon and reminded her of Alex.

Alex placed the bags just inside of the door and headed to the kitchen in search of food. Diane entered just behind Piper and sighed as she walked directly into the bags that Alex had just dropped.

"Al, why don't you take your stuff upstairs and then come and help me prepare for tonight?" Diane shouted, chuckling as Alex reappeared with a cookie in her mouth.

"Sure mom" Alex mumbled with her mouth full. "Come on Pipes, I'll show you around"

Piper followed Alex up the stairs and into her room. Alex placed the bags down and watched as Piper walked around the room. Piper smiled, the room was full of soccer posters and trophies- on the far wall there was a US women's team photo, Alex had covered one of the player's faces with a picture of herself. Piper laughed and continued walking around the room, there was a large bookcase in the corner filled with an array of books and a soft beanbag placed in an alcove of the room.

"Do you always snoop around strangers rooms?" Alex asked smiling.

"I do have a habit of doing that don't I?" Piper asked as she made her way towards Alex.

"I'm glad you're here" Alex smiled as she put her hands on Piper's waist and kissed her softly. Piper felt her knees weaken as Alex deepened the kiss, Piper responded by gently biting Alex's lip.

"Urgh" Alex groaned, "That's not fair".

Piper winked at Alex, "Maybe later."

….

Alex and Piper spent the majority of the day helping Diane with preparations for the charity event. Piper had changed into a pair of black leggings and a grey Litchfield University hoody so she could help Diane with the cooking. She had shared her grandmother's samosa recipe with Diane, who was enthusiastically searching the cupboards for spices. Alex was sat at the kitchen table scribbling words down onto a notepad enthusiastically.

"Al, I said you don't have to do it this year if you don't want to" Diane shouted as she heard Alex scrunching up another piece of paper and throwing it into the bin.

"I know mom, but I want to" Alex replied as she entered the kitchen in search of food again. Diane swatting Alex's hand as she went to reach for some of the cake mix that Piper was currently whisking.

"Hey! That's for later" Diane laughed before asking Alex to go and ask the neighbours if they had any paprika. Alex sighed and left the house.

"She's stubborn alright" Diane laughed whilst Piper nodded in agreement.

"So, this event tonight? Do you run it every year?" Piper asked, looking up from the mixture.

"Have done for the past seven years" Diane nodded. "The whole neighbourhood comes together for it, we hold an auction and have a good party. All of the proceeds go to the homeless kitchen that I help to run when I can".

Piper looked up at Diane and smiled. The more time she spent with this woman the more she realised why Alex was so caring and considerate.

….

"Wow, they look amazing!" Alex said entering the kitchen some time later with a piece of paper in her hand. She safely tucked it into the pocket of the jeans was wearing and continued to admire the spread of food in front of her.

"Job well done I think!" Diane replied, her cheeks were flustered red from the heat of the kitchen and she had flour on her forehead.

"Why don't you relax now Mom? I was thinking of taking Piper for a brief neighbourhood walk before we need to start getting dolled up" Alex stated, smiling across the counter at Piper.

Piper's heart swelled at the way that Alex was around her Mom, the genuine love that Alex had for the woman in front of her was palpable.

"Come on Pipes, let's explore" Alex said, grabbing Piper's coat from the couch and helping her put it on. Alex held her hand out for Piper who accepted it and intertwined her fingers with Alex's.

Alex proudly paraded Piper around the neighbourhood and it made Piper feel amazing. They walked down the small high street which contained a convenience store, a hardware shop, a doctor's surgery, pharmacy and a small pub. Alex shouted out greetings to everyone they passed and never once let go of Piper's hand. Once at the end of the high street Alex led Piper down a small alley way between two rows of houses. At the end of the alley way was a metal gate which squeaked when Alex opened it. The gate led to a soccer field, the pitch was uneven and the grass was an inconsistent length. The goalposts at either end of the field were rickety and it looked like a strong gust of wind would easily blow them over.

"This is where you used to play?" Piper asked in disbelief, it was a long way from the Litchfield University stadium.

Alex nodded, "Always gives me a reality check coming back here. I owe a lot to this pitch"

"What do you mean?" Piper asked.

"I mean, if I hadn't ever played on this pitch I would never have been scouted for my scholarship and I would never have met you"

Piper laughed at Alex, "Deep" she mocked.

Alex placed her hand on the side of Piper's face- "I'm glad I met you kid". Alex stroked Piper's cheek with her hand before pulling her closer for a passionate kiss. Piper placed her hand over Alex's and continued to kiss her longingly.

….

"Did I put all of the food in the car?" Diane asked.

"Yes, mom it's all in there I checked twice" Alex laughed. "Relax OK? It'll all be fine" she said, kissing her mom on the cheek. Diane was wearing a burgundy dress that was layered around her chest and fell below her knees. Her hair was tied up, with the exception of a few strands that were framing her face- as Alex kissed her Mom on the cheek she smelt her perfume which brought back thoughts of happiness and memorable nights.

Diane smiled at her daughter, "You look so grown up".

"Mom, don't go all gooey on me" Alex laughed. Alex was wearing a lace dress, the lace around her chest and arms was thin and allowed a glimpse at the skin underneath. She was wearing her black frame glasses and her eye makeup was darker and sexier than usual.

Alex looked at the clock on the wall and turned around to go and check on Piper. As she turned Alex froze on the spot at the sight of Piper walking down the stairs. Her blonde hair fell past her shoulders in loose curls, her makeup beautifully accentuated her features and her body was hugged by a slim fitting red dress. She looked more beautiful than Alex ever imagined she could. Alex's heart ached at the sight of her.

"Fuck" Alex murmured causing Diane to look up from the bags she was currently checking, she watched proudly as her daughter walked over to Piper and kissed her softly. "You look beautiful babe".

Diane smiled and walked towards the two girls, "Wow, Piper you look stunning!" Diane exclaimed.

"Thanks Diane, so do you!" Piper replied genuinely.

"She's right mom, you do look beautiful" Alex added, she placed her hand on Piper's waist unable to stand this close to her and not touch her in some way.

…..

The charity event had been set up in the local pub. It had been transformed with posh table clothes and fairy lights making it look unrecognisable. A small platform had been set up at one end of the pub, leaving space for a small dance floor. The rest of the room was filled with round tables each covered with white table clothes. A small band were perched on the platform and were playing soft music as the guests mingled in the main area of the room. Diane busied herself with making sure everyone was having a good time whilst Alex proudly introduced Piper to everyone she knew. White suited waiters patrolled the room offering glasses of champagne and samosas to guests- Alex took two glasses of champagne from a waiter's tray and handed one to Piper. They clinked their glasses together before each downing the contents.

"We're not very classy are we?" Piper chuckled.

"Hey, we're college students- we're allowed to be un-classy" Alex replied.

The girls were pulled from their conversation as the band suddenly stopped playing. They both looked up at the platform to see Diane standing with a microphone.

"If everyone can please take their seats we'll begin the event" Diane beamed.

The crowd of people shuffled around the room as they tried to find their places. Alex and Piper took their seats, they were sat on a table with a group of girl's that Alex used to play soccer with. Alex exchanged greetings with all of them and asked about what they were all doing now. Piper learnt that the four girls were all at college and were also still playing soccer.

"You play for Litchfield now don't you?" one of the girls asked Alex.

"That's right," Alex replied, grabbing two more champagne flutes from a passing waiter's tray.

"I've heard a rumour that some of the Litchfield players have been offered national trials" another girl added.

Alex shrugged coolly taking a sip of her drink, "I just concentrate on the soccer," she smiled.

Piper slid her hand under the table and squeezed Alex's thigh lovingly, causing Alex's heart to race uncontrollably.

Once everyone had settled Diane once again took the microphone and started the auction that made up a huge part of the event. The audience laughed and cheered as the neighbourhood bid on soccer tickets, food hampers, weekends away and even a date with a particularly arrogant looking guy- who proceeded to take his shirt off and fling it into the audience when he was 'brought' for 300 dollars. Following the auction the band started playing again. The other girl's on the table took this as a sign that they could continue their barrage of questions towards Alex in relation to the national team.

"You must know something surely? Aren't you the captain?" They asked.

"I've heard it's really obviously when a scout is present at a match"

"No, they disguise themselves idiot!"

"Please excuse me," Alex stated politely before pushing her chair back. "I need a shot, you coming Pipes?"

Piper nodding eagerly as Alex extended her hand and helped Piper get up from the table. They made their way over the bar where they were greeted by a large bearded man who introduced himself to Piper as Daz.

"Daz, you got any tequila behind there?" Alex asked innocently.

"You're going to get me in trouble someday Vause," Daz replied as he placed a large bottle of tequila and two shot glasses on the side of the bar.

Alex smiled back at the bartender before pouring out two shots and handing one to Piper, they knocked the liquid back and spluttered as it set their throats on fire. Alex laughed at Piper's reaction and kissed her on the cheek.

…..

"Al, ready?" Diane asked as she placed a hand on her daughters back. Alex nodded and squeezed Piper's hand as she left the table.

"Show time" she whispered. Piper laughed, Alex had been very secretive about the contents of her speech. All she was willing to share is that it was tradition for her to stand up and say a few words. It was only when Alex was stood on the platform that Piper relished in her full beauty. Alex radiated confidence on the stage, she waved goofily at the audience making Piper's heart flip and making the audience laugh.

"Evening everyone, I hope you're all having a good night and if you're not I have a secret stash of tequila so come and find me afterwards", the crowd laughed and Diane shook her head and laughed at the side of the platform.

"But seriously, tonight is about giving to those who are less fortunate than us. The fact that so many of you turn up year in year out and support this cause means a lot to me and my mom. I think many of us don't realise how lucky we actually are, I know I didn't. I say didn't because that's changed for me recently, I used to think that when I lost a game or missed a penalty I was unlucky. But recently someone has changed that for me."

Piper's heart swelled as Alex made eye contact with her.

"This person has made me realise that it doesn't matter what you have going on in your life, as long as there are people in it that give you purpose. Even if we don't manage to change people's lives tonight, at least they know that there are people out there rooting for them. There are people fighting their corner, and that there are people there for them when they need a hand. I've learnt recently that having people who love you all around you is all that really matters in life."

The crowd rose to their feet and applauded Alex who smiled back at them.

"Now let's party!" She shouted.

…..

 **Nicky: How was the charity event Sport?**

Alex had glanced at her phone whilst greeting people at the door of her house. The event had finished but the majority of guests had made their way back to Diane's house for an after party. Alex glanced through the front door and could hardly recognise her house for the amount of people crammed inside.

 **Alex: Unreal, so amazing**

 **Nicky: U haven't had sex already have u?**

Alex laughed at her phone.

 **Alex: No lol, she looks insane**

 **Nicky: No shit Vause**

Alex glanced down the street to make sure that there was no one else left to welcome and then shut the front door and joined the party. The sofas in the small living room had been separated to allow more room for people to talk and dance, the leftover food from the event lined the counters and the dining room table displayed an array of alcohol. Alex settled for a glass of water and smiled as she spotted her old soccer coach on the other side of the room.

….

 **Piper: Lorna, you were right! Her Mom is so nice**

Piper was in the upstairs bathroom of Alex's house, making sure that she looked acceptable before resurfacing in the party downstairs.

 **Lorna: Told you! Glad you're having a great time ;)**

Piper left the bathroom, and stood in the corridor admiring the inspirational quotes on the wall. She noticed that the door opposite the bathroom was marginally open revealing a bedroom that Piper assumed was Diane's. Piper opened the door slightly and gazed in wonder at the oasis inside, the room was decorated with blue and green blankets and had a calming feel about it. Piper slowly stepped inside, drawn to the back wall of the room that was covered in old photos in white frames. Piper noticed a familiar face in almost every one. She smiled at a picture of a young Alex struggling to lift a trophy almost twice her size. The one next to it was a picture of a young Diane holding a toothless, smiling toddler.

"Cute photos aren't they?"

"Shit!" Piper jumped as she spun around to found Diane smiling at her. "I- er- I'm sorry" Piper stuttered.

"Relax" Diane laughed.

Piper smiled, "You must be so proud of her" she said referring back to the pictures Alex.

"Immensely" Diane replied, she sat on the edge of her bed and patted it, gesturing for Piper to sit down next to her. Piper obliged and smiled at Diane.

"Do you know what though? Nothing has made me as proud as seeing the way she looked at you tonight". Piper looked directly into Diane's green eyes which were glistening slightly with the threat of tears. "I can't thank you enough for the happiness you've brought to her Piper, even over the phone I can tell the smile that's on her face every time she talks about you."

Diane smiled and squeezed Piper's hand.

"Diane?" Piper asked cautiously.

"Yes sweetheart?" Diane replied, maintaining eye contact with Piper.

"I think I'm falling in love with your daughter" Piper said, looking up at Diane with vulnerable eyes.

"I think she's falling in love with you too darling".

….

"There's my girl!" Alex said as Piper approached her, Alex placed her hand on Piper's waist and planted a kiss on her head.

"Hi babe" Piper replied, wrapping her arms around Alex.

"Are you okay?" Alex said looking down at the beautiful blonde on her arm.

Piper nodded in response, "Just getting a bit tired."

"You go upstairs and get ready for bed and I'll join you in minute, OK?" Alex asked sweetly.

….

Alex closed her bedroom door and turned to face the room. The lights were off but Alex could just about make out that Piper was stood at the end of the bed.

"Pipes?" Alex asked warily.

Alex walked towards the blonde who stood still at the end of the bed. She reached out towards Piper, her hand was met directly with the skin of Piper's toned stomach. Alex's breath hitched as she realised that Piper was just wearing her underwear. Piper held onto Alex's wrist and guided Alex's hand up her body revealing the lingerie she was wearing. Alex could feel that the lingerie had lace straps running down the sides of Piper's body, the lace joined into a type of corset over Piper's breasts. Piper continued to guide Alex's hand down her body, letting it rest on her ass which was barely covered by the lace underwear. Alex moaned as desire rocked her body.

Piper removed her hand from Alex's wrist and instead put her hands in Alex's dark hair as she pulled her head closer and crashed her lips against Alex's. Piper dominated in the kiss, her tongue ran across Alex's bottom lip before entering her mouth, it was passionate and filled with desire.

"I want to make you feel good" Piper whispered in Alex's ear as she broke away from the kiss. She softly kissed Alex's ear before trailing kisses down her neck, as she kissed and sucked at Alex's skin she simultaneously pulled down the zip at the back of Alex's dress. The dress slipped down Alex's body. Piper's hands explored the new canvas that was Alex's skin. She could feel Alex's heart beat as her hands traced Alex's toned stomach. She placed her hands over the cups of Alex's bra causing Alex to whimper in anticipation.

Piper gently eased Alex back onto the bed and then straddled on top of her. She trailed kisses down Alex's arm and stopped just above her bra cup, Piper repeated the action on the other arm causing Alex to squirm beneath her. Piper thrusted her hips into Alex as desire for the girl underneath her took over. Alex moaned softly as Piper lifted her bra and placed her hand over the now exposed breast. Piper tilted her head back in pleasure at the feel of Alex's stiffened nipple on her hand. Alex smirked and kissed Piper's neck.

Piper put her hands behind Alex's back and attempted to unclasp her bra. Alex smiled at Piper sweetly as she struggled to undo the clasp.

"Hey?" Alex whispered shakily. "Just relax". Alex took Piper's face in her hands and kissed her passionately, moving her tongue slowly and purposefully in the blonde's mouth. Piper slowly attempted to undo the bra one more time and managed to slide the clasp free. Alex continued to kiss Piper as her bra was thrown to the floor. Piper took Alex's nipple between her fingers and squeezed gently, causing Alex to groan into Piper's mouth. Piper enjoyed Alex making these noises on her behalf and continued to tease and tug at the nipples. Alex's hips were starting to thrust upwards, she was desperately trying to create friction between her legs.

Piper continued kissing Alex as she reached down between Alex's legs. Alex moaned again as Piper made contact with her underwear. Piper gently pressed down with her hand causing Alex to moan louder this time, she started to make circular movements with her hand making Alex's hips buck. Piper gently pulled Alex's underwear down to allow her further access, she continued the circular movements on Alex's skin and sighed as she felt her finger become wet. Piper pushed her fingers through Alex's folds and inside of her.

"Pipes" Alex sighed as Piper thrust two digits in and out in a rhythmic pattern.

"Does it feel nice?" Piper asked, an air of vulnerability about her.

"Yes Piper, it feels great" Alex groaned as Piper continued the rhythm, this time stroking Alex's clit with her thumb. Alex whimpered as Piper sucked the skin at the base of her neck whilst continuing to thrust with her fingers.

"P.. Pipes" Alex stuttered. Piper could feel that Alex was getting close, her walls had started to contract around Piper's fingers.

Piper positioned her face next to Alex's ear and whispered, "Come for me Alex".

At the sound of Piper's sultry voice Alex fell apart, she closed her eyes tight and arched her back as she rode out her strong orgasm. Piper kept her fingers inside of Alex until she felt her body relax, then she slowly extracted them causing Alex to groan at the loss of friction.

"Are you sure you've never done that before?" Alex asked breathily as Piper lay down beside her.

"Never" replied Piper smiling. "I enjoyed it though."

"So did I" Alex laughed, she opened her arm out allowing Piper to settle against her body. Piper rubbed her legs together slightly as she cuddled next to Alex.

Alex smiled, "Time for me to repay the favour"- she winked at Piper. "You are my guest after all".

Alex maintained eye contact with Piper as she slid down the bed, lightly trailing her fingers down Piper's sides as she went. Piper arched her back slightly in response as Alex allowed her lips to drag along Piper's stomach. Alex unclipped the side of Piper's lingerie- allowing her to remove Piper's underwear. Alex stroked the area with her fingers and was surprised to see that Piper was already more than ready for her. Instead of using her fingers Alex lowered her mouth and closed it around Piper's sex. Piper gasped at the unusual sensation but quickly began to buck her hips as Alex started to lap at Piper with her tongue. Piper moaned loudly as Alex flicked her clit expertly with her tongue. Pressure started to build within Piper as Alex thrust a finger inside of her whilst continuing to use her tongue on Piper's clit.

"Alex" Piper moaned, putting her hands in Alex's hair as encouragement for her to carry on. Alex sped up in response causing Piper to bite her hand in a bid to keep quiet as she came violently. Alex moved up the bed again, evidently satisfied with her efforts.

"There," Alex said. "Now we're even".

Piper smiled sleepily before curling up again Alex once more.

 **A/N: Hello everyone! Ok, so I underestimated how long I would be away for! I've had a lot of heartbreak in my life over the past couple of months so needed a bit of time to get my head around it before I start writing this story again. However, I love this story so so much. I re-read it all this week and fell in love with it again- there was no way I could keep you guys hanging for much longer. I already have plans for the next few chapters so fingers crossed I won't be so long next time. Thank you so much for being patient! I feel like I'm a bit rusty at the moment in terms of writing so please excuse me if this chapter isn't as great as the previous ones. As always I'd love to hear what you think. Thanks again- C. x**


	12. Chapter 12

Piper woke in the night to find a naked Alex draped over her. Alex's arm was thrown across Piper's stomach and her leg was curled around the bottom half of Piper's body. Alex's dark hair was scattered across Piper's shoulders and she was snoring softly. Piper smiled and pressed her body back against Alex's, closing her eyes again. Alex murmured something inaudible in response and pulled Piper closer. She purred happily when Piper stroked her forearm softly with her finger tips before started to snore softly again.

…...

Alex had been watching Piper in awe for about twenty minutes. Alex watched how the blonde's nose would occasionally twitch in her sleep, how her chest rose and fall in perfect rhythm. She noticed how long Piper's eyelashes were and how perfectly shaped her lips were. Alex had never been one to sleep with girls before, she would fuck them- yes, but never fall asleep next to them. There was something about waking up to Piper's natural, innocent beauty that made Alex's heart skip, causing affection to run through her veins. As though realising she was been watched Piper shifted slightly, slowly coming out of her slumber.

"Good morning baby" Alex whispered, kissing Piper lightly on the nose.

Piper groaned, she fluttered her eyes open to a pair of breath-taking emerald eyes staring back at her. Piper's heart soared with excitement as she remembered where she was and who she was with. She wriggled towards Alex's body which was radiating heat, Alex responded by lying flat and allowing Piper to place her head in the space between Alex's arm and chest.

"Morning" Piper murmured, her eyes slowly shutting before she blinked them open again.

Alex laughed, "Note taken".

Piper looked up at Alex with soft, tired eyes, "What?" she asked innocently, causing Alex's heart to swell.

"You're not a morning person" Alex smiled, planting a kiss on Piper's head as the blonde pulled the duvet further up her body and snuggled closer to Alex. "I, on the other hand, am going to be the perfect host and make you breakfast".

"You don't have to do that" Piper murmured happily as her eyes started to flutter shut again.

"Jeez Pipes, you're putting up a real fight" Alex laughed before sliding out of bed. Piper groaned softly as she was made to move away from Alex's chest.

Alex threw on some grey sweatpants and an old band t-shirt that her mom had given her a few years ago. She placed her glasses on her face and checked that Piper had gone back to sleep before tip toeing out of the room and closing the door softly behind her. She made her way downstairs and groaned at the state of the house, the sofas were still pushed together and Alex's socks stuck to the floor with every step she took. Alex set about collecting empty paper cups and placing them in a large bin liner. Alex smiled as she found the mop bucket and filled it with water, she paused and shook her head.

 _What's wrong with you Vause? Smiling whilst cleaning._

She could just see the face Nicky would pull if she could see how Alex was smiling. Alex had never felt so fulfilled before, last night with Piper she had felt like part of a team- she had felt like no matter what was to happen she would always have the blonde in her life. Alex wasn't a naturally trusting person, she took a while to warm to people- but everything was different with Piper. Alex had realised last night that there was no going back now, even if nothing was to happen with her and Piper she knew that the whole concept of being with someone would never be the same again.

Alex heard running water upstairs as she finished up returning the living room to its original state. She assumed that her mom would be downstairs soon and so bent down at the fridge and picked out a pack of bacon before scouring the cupboards for a loaf of bread. Alex placed two strips of bacon in a pan and was whistling a rendition of an old Coldplay song when Diane entered.

"Well someone's feeling chirpy this morning, you must have had a good night" Diane chuckled causing Alex to drop the kitchen utensil in her hand.

"Shit Mom" Alex murmured, picking the utensil up from the floor and turning towards her mom. "A little warning would be nice." Alex smirked at her mom and pointed towards the sizzling pan, "Bacon?" she asked.

"Ooo lovely," Diane replied. "You can come home more often!" Diane took a seat at the dining room table whilst Alex flipped the bacon. The older woman's hair was wet and hung by her shoulders and she watched with admiration as Alex placed the two strips of bacon in bread for her mom. Diane thanked her daughter before taking a bite of the sandwich.

"So" Alex said sitting down opposite her mom. "What do you think?" Alex rung her hands nervously as she asked the question. Her face was lined with light worry and her eyes flitted across her mother's face waiting for a reaction.

"Hmm, bit crispy for me" Diane said, looking at her daughter and smirking. From the look on her daughter's face Diane could tell what Alex was getting at, however she decided to take advantage of the rare nervous state Alex was in.

Alex looked sternly at her mom, "You know what I meant."

Sensing the seriousness in Alex's voice, Diane laughed, "I think she's amazing".

Alex visibly relaxed and let out a huge sigh of relief, "Really?" she asked. Her bright green eyes shone with a happiness that she couldn't keep from her face as she beamed across at her mom.

"Honestly Al, my only want as a parent is for you to be happy and it's so obvious how she makes you feel- I think she's perfect for you" Diane smiled taking.

"So do I" Alex beamed at her mom.

Alex stood up from the table and placed four more strips of bacon in the pan. She'd just finished plating up two bacon sandwiches when Piper came down the stairs. Piper greeted Diane and took a seat next to her at the table. Alex's heart swooped when she saw Piper; her hair was pulled into a messy bun and was sticking up at all angles, she was wearing one of Alex's oversized t-shirts and her bright blue eyes were barely open. Even in her most natural form Piper was by far the most beautiful thing also had even seen. Diane glanced from the blonde to Alex who was staring at Piper with her mouth slightly parted. Alex noticed her mom looking at her and regained her composure.

"Good morning beautiful… again" Alex said sweetly as she placed a plate in front of Piper.

"Thanks so much," Piper replied, picking the sandwich up and taking a big bite- she was loving this new domesticated Alex. Piper's mind started to wander as Alex and Diane discussed the village gossip that was unearthed last night. She started to think about a future with Alex for the first time, she thought about coming to dinner at Diane's more often and making a tradition of attending the annual charity event. She thought about waking up every morning, how she'd woken up this morning- in the arms of Alex.

 _Jesus Chapman, snap out of it. You're not even together._

"How did you sleep Piper?" Diane asked, pulling Piper out of her daydream.

Piper blushed deeply, thinking specifically of all the time her and Alex had spent in bed not sleeping, before replying "Great, thank you".

Alex raised her eyebrow at Piper and smirked, guessing what the blonde was thinking about, earning a soft kick under the table from the blonde.

"How are you feeling about this week Al?" Diane asked, turning her attention to her daughter.

The smirk on Alex's face faded slightly as she shrugged nonchalantly at her mom. Alex had tried to put her upcoming trail to the back of her mind but since the charity event was now over there wasn't much more she could think about. Alex wasn't really one to get nervous but there was so much at stake for her this week, her stomach churned in reflex as she contemplated failing.

"You'll be amazing Alex," Piper smiled, gently placing her hand over Alex's. Piper's blue eyes met Alex's green ones, Piper could tell that behind the brave exterior Alex was truly nervous about trails. She knew the raven haired girl opposite her well enough now to know that Alex was very good at hiding her vulnerable side, but that wasn't to say that she didn't have one.

"I agree" Diane said as she collected the plates from the table and took them to the kitchen sink. "You'll be amazing babe."

Alex smiled reassuringly at Piper before squeezing her hand.

"So I was thinking," Diane said, returning from the kitchen wiping her wet hands down the sides of her black sweatpants, "How does a movie day sound today?"

"Sounds great!" Piper replied.

…...

When Piper and Alex returned downstairs after putting fresh pyjamas on Diane had turned the lights off and set out blankets on the sofa. Alex helped her mom to set up the DVD player before sitting on the sofa and placing her arm around the blonde next to her. Piper settled down and placed her legs over Alex's lap before covering them both with a blanket. Alex used her spare hand to lovingly rub Piper's calf.

Diane decided on Harry Potter and jumped onto the free sofa, wrapping herself in the spare blanket she smiled across at Alex and Piper, "You guys make me feel so single" she laughed.

"We'll find you someone Mom, I know loads of straight men" Alex replied.

"Should I be worried" Piper laughed before resting her head on Alex's chest and becoming intrigued in the film.

Alex was obsessed with watching Piper's reactions during the film, the blonde watched with her mouth slightly open in concentration- she laughed adoringly at the funny parts and clung tightly to Alex's arm during the tenser scenes.

During the film Alex's mind wandered to trails again. It was very common for girls to get turned down from trials and then get invited again at a later date, but that wasn't the point. Alex wanted to make a career out of soccer, if she got rejected now- where would that leave her for the rest of her life? Piper grabbed onto Alex's arm again as Lord Voldemort was revealed in the film, Alex looked down and smiled- somehow thinking about Piper squashed her worrying thoughts of the future.

…...

The credits of the second film started and Piper felt her stomach dive- she knew that it was almost time to leave. The plan was for Nicky's friend, Donte, to collect Piper from Alex's and take her back to college whilst Diane would take Alex to the airport for her evening flight to Chicago. Alex squeezed Piper's hand under the blanket before getting up to switch the TV off, leaving a sleeping Diane on the sofa. Alex pointed towards the ceiling, gesturing for Piper to come upstairs with her. They tiptoed out of the room and climbed the stairs in silence.

"We should probably make sure we're all packed" Alex said as they reached her room, she busied herself flicking through her wardrobe. Piper could tell that Alex didn't want to talk.

"Al…"

Alex hummed in response but didn't turn around to face the blonde.

Piper approached Alex from behind and gently spun around so that they were facing. Alex lifted her face to make eye contact, Piper realised that her eyes were wide with worry. For the first time since the pair had known one another Alex seemed timid, almost scared. Piper lifted her hand to Alex's face and gently stroked her cheekbone, the light touch caused Alex to close her eyes.

"I don't want to leave you" Alex whispered, Piper had never heard this tone in Alex's voice- it made her feel protective over the dark haired girl. Alex placed her hand over Piper's and kissed her gently on the lips. The kiss deepened but not in a lustful, desiring way- in a passionate and emotional way. Alex had never kissed anyone like she kissed Piper- every kiss was like their first kiss. Alex was convinced that she would never get bored of the feeling of Piper's lips on hers.

As the pair parted from the kiss Alex felt the threat of 3 words at the back of her throat, but she couldn't bring herself to say them.

 _Don't ruin this Vause._

…...

"Thank you so much for having me Diane" Piper said as Diane pulled her into a long hug.

Diane smiled into the hug and clung to Piper lovingly. "I should be the one thanking you Piper". Piper didn't need to ask Diane what she meant. She smiled genuinely at the older woman who waved at her one last time before disappearing into the depths of the house- leaving the two girls alone.

Piper's heart rate increased and she felt the threat of tears in her eyes as she realised it was now time to say goodbye to Alex.

 _Pull yourself together Chapman._

Alex had regained her composure since her earlier spout of vulnerability and realised that she needed to be strong for Piper who was equally struggling. Alex wrapped her arms around Piper and embraced her tightly, resting her chin on Piper's head as she did so.

"I'm going to do you proud this week babe, I promise" Alex whispered as she pulled away from the hug and looked into Piper's shining blue eyes. The lump in Piper's throat was too prominent for her to speak, all she could do was nod back at Alex and squeeze her hand.

…...

Piper stared out of the window on the way back to college thinking about much she had taken the weekend for granted. She wished that it was possible to travel back in time and start this weekend all over again. The car journey passed in silence, Donte soon realised that Piper was in no mood to talk and so left her to look out of the window for the whole journey. The winter sun had faded during Piper's time in the car and night was starting to fall by the time she recognised that she was getting close to Litchfield.

Piper felt a surge of excitement as she realised she wouldn't be alone for much longer, being back in familiar surroundings made her smile slightly.

"Happy to be back huh?" Donte laughed, looking over at Piper who nodded in response. "It's always difficult to come back after a nice weekend, you and your girlfriend will be together again soon though I'm sure. Gotta' get through the rough bit by remembering the good bit innit?"

Piper smiled at the driver, hearing him refer to Alex as her girlfriend made her giddy with happiness- even if it wasn't exactly true.

…...

Piper had barely stepped foot into the dorm when she saw Lorna crane her head around her bedroom door.

"Piper!" she yelped before running up the corridor and jumping into Piper's arms.

Piper laughed and hugged her friend lovingly. Usually not being one for dramatic reunions, Piper couldn't help but hold onto Lorna today.

"You're back! How are you? You need to come in and tell us all about your weekend" Lorna beamed, she grabbed Piper's hand and led her into the bedroom where Nicky was sprawled on the bed watching soccer. Piper's heart dropped slightly as she longed to be able to walk into her bedroom and see Alex doing the same.

"Look who's back!" Lorna squealed at Nicky.

"Oh great, just when I was starting to get attention" Nicky groaned before winking at Piper. "Come on then, spill the beans! How was your weekend?" Lorna sat on the bed next to Nicky, both of them paying Piper their full attention and looking at her expectantly. Piper took a seat at the end of the bed and crossed her legs.

"It was amazing" she smiled. "Honestly, it was everything I imagined it would be!"

Lorna practically jumped off the bed with excitement, "I told you! I told you! Didn't I say she'd have the best time? "Lorna screeched, hitting Nicky repeatedly.

"Jesus Lorn, yes you did" Nicky laughed swatting at Lorna to stop hitting her. "I want to know details" Nicky smirked.

"I'm not discussing the sex with you Nicky" Piper laughed, she was slowly getting used to how often that particular topic arose when Nicky was around.

"I wasn't referring to the sex Chapman, although now I know you had sex I'll be sure to quiz Alex" she replied, caused Piper to groan with embarrassment. "I want to know about her mom, what's she like?" Nicky asked.

"She's so nice," Piper smiled. "She looks like Alex and acts like her too, it's quite scary how similar they are actually. She's so kind and caring, her and Al are so sweet toge…"

"Wait" Lorna interrupted Piper's rambling evidently confused. "You've never met her?" she asked Nicky.

"What, me?" Nicky asked, laughing in disbelief. "Fuck no, Alex's mom may as well be the Queen of England. Sure, I've seen her before at soccer matches but Alex whisks her away before anyone can meet her. Her mom's too important to her…she never introduces her to anyone unless she knows they're gonna' be around for a while!"

Piper smiled sweetly, "I didn't know that."

"Well now you do" Nicky smiled, "You're special to her Chapman- remember that."

Piper smiled and nodded at Nicky. Nicky's words meant a lot to Piper, she felt a sudden threat of tears as she remembered that she couldn't see Alex until the end of the week. Knowing that she had received some sort of special treatment by being introduced to Diane made her want to burst with pride.

"Right, I'll leave you two lovebirds to it." Piper stood up. "I won't cock block you anymore" she smirked towards Nicky before turning towards the door.

"Yeah Chapman, leave me and my _girlfriend_ alone" Nicky shouted after her. Piper froze in the doorway and quickly spun around.

"What?!" she screeched. "Did you just say girlfriend? She said girlfriend!" Piper exclaimed towards Lorna, who was laughing and nodding in response. "You let me talk in here for so long without telling me!" Piper jumped back onto the bed in-between the two girls and hugged them both tightly. "You guys! I'm so happy for you both! I want the full story tomorrow!" she beamed as she skipped out of the room once more.

…...

It was almost midnight by the time Alex reached the team hotel. The hotel was unlike anything Alex had ever seen before, she had to strain her neck to view the full height of the building. A man wearing a long red coat opened the door for Alex and tipped his hat to her in greeting. Alex smiled at him as she entered the foyer of the hotel. She gasped in disbelief, the floor of the hotel was white stone and sophisticated chandeliers hung from the vast ceiling. The back wall of the foyer was covered by glass elevators, Alex followed one of the elevators with her eyes as it shot up the wall. The rest of the walls were covered in windows that led directly into the rooms. Alex could have sworn she saw someone staring at her from one of the windows but was distracted when a voice in front of her spoke out.

"Alex Vause?"

Alex looked away from the window and found a short, stern looking female stood in front of her.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Coach Murphy." The women explained, extending her hand. Alex grasped her hand and shook it politely. The coach was wearing a navy tracksuit with the national emblem on her chest. Her hair was short and swept across her face, Alex got the impression that Coach Murphy wasn't someone to mess with.

"You're all checked in," Coach Murphy explained as she made her way across the foyer gesturing for Alex to follow her. "You have an introductory meeting with the Head Coach tomorrow followed by breakfast with the rest of the team. You are one of two trialists, but you will _not_ receive any special treatment, understand?"

Alex nodded as she followed Coach Murphy into the elevator.

"This week will consist of fitness tests, gym sessions, team building, tactical awareness and general game play. You will be amongst the finest female players this country has to offer, don't disappoint" Coach Murphy exited the elevator and made her way down a maze of corridors. "Kit is on the bed ready for you, report downstairs to me at 8:00am tomorrow and I will escort you to the Head Coach- do not be late."

Coach Murphy stopped abruptly and held out a card key to Alex. "This is your room for the week, get some sleep." Alex accepted the key and watched as Coach Murphy marched back down the corridor.

Alex presented the card in front of the door which swung open in response. She stepped inside the room causing the doors to swing shut behind her. Alex was immediately drawn to the back window, the city lights of Chicago were breath-taking, Alex took in the views for a few moments before turning to examine the room. The room was separated with a partition wall containing a large fish tank that was visible on both sides of the room. One side contained a platform upon which was a large white bed scattered with pillows and blankets as well as the kit that Coach Murphy had referred to. Alex walked around to the other side of the room that looked out onto the foyer below, she looked across to the huge TV that took up the whole of the partition wall and then to the cream sofa.

 _This is insane._

She walked back around the room to the bed and sifted through the uniform that was laid out. Alex picked up her training shirt, she gently ran her hands over the stitched national emblem and shook her head in disbelief. She spun the shirt around so she could see the large number 24 emblazed on the back of it. She smiled to herself and jumped back onto the large bed, sinking into it. She reached for her phone and sent a message to her mom before typing out a message to Piper.

 **Alex: Just got here safe babe, the hotel is amazing- wish u could see it. I miss u so much.**

Alex slept like a baby and was woken when the sun started to blare through the hotel windows, she'd fallen asleep so suddenly last night that she had forgotten to draw the curtains. Alex stretched and made her way to the stone bathroom to prepare for the day. Once showered and dried Alex put her uniform on. She stared at herself in the bathroom mirror and smiled, she was wearing navy tracksuit bottoms and a polo t-shirt with USA written across the front of it. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail and she had her trademark glasses on. Alex made sure her gym bag was packed before checking her appearance one last time and heading out to meet Coach Murphy.

"Morning Coach" Alex smiled as she approached Coach Murphy.

"Vause", the Coach nodded in return before leading Alex through the breakfast restaurant and into the conference centre of the hotel. Alex followed in silence. They entered a white corridor lined with wooden doors and glass windows leading into empty offices. Coach Murphy stopped and tapped on an office door, she opened the door and ushered Alex inside before shutting the door firmly behind her.

Alex looked around the office, it looked out across the hotel gardens- a pleasant change from the views of the city. A desk was located in the middle of the room facing the window and there was someone sat in the desk chair with their back to the door. In the corner of the room there were two cream armchairs, the rest of the walls were covered in bookcases. Alex lingered awkwardly before clearing her throat causing the person in the chair to turn around.

The woman had an aged face and short, bright red hair. She placed down the paperwork she was sorting through and stood up. She looked intimidating but her eyes softened slightly when she saw Alex.

"Vause?" she said in a thick Russian accent. Alex nodded, causing the woman to extend her hand and grip Alex's tightly. "Galina Reznikov, Head Coach- call me Red."

"It's nice to meet you, Red" Alex said. Red gestured for Alex to take a seat in one of the armchairs before sitting down opposite her. The chairs had a perfect view of the garden, Alex and Red sat in silence for a few moments watching the morning scene. Alex could have sworn she saw a chicken walking out of the perfectly trimmed hedges when Red spoke distracting her from the bird.

"So…" Red started, "No doubt Coach Murphy has explained how this week will work. We are often… hesitant, to invite people to trails, unless we are fairly confident of their ability. I have watched you play a number of times Alex, I must say that it is rare to come across such a talent that has so far gone un-scouted."

"You've seen me play?" Alex asked, evidently surprised.

"Oh yes, your name has been brought to me on many occasions- I needed to see for myself what the fuss was about" Red smirked as she sipped at the mug of black coffee laid out in front of her. "This is not like college soccer Alex, you will not be top dog here- you will be at the very bottom of the pile. Learning your place here will be the ultimate judge of resilience and character."

Alex nodded in response, she was still shocked that the head coach of the US was at her soccer game and she never realised.

"Up for the challenge kid?"

Alex was about to speak when there was a brief knock at the door before it opened and firmly shut again.

"Ah, this must be our second trialist" Red said before standing up to greet the girl who had just entered the room.

"Sylvia Summer, but everyone calls me Sylvie," Alex spun around in her chair. Her heart beat spiked, her stomach churned and her breathing increased. She muttered a number of expletives before standing up to get a better view of the girl. She was only slightly shorter than Alex and was of a slightly bigger build. She had brunette hair that was pulled into a tight bun at the top of her head. Alex would have recognised that face even in a crowded room.

Sylvie shook Red's hand before averting her gaze to Alex, she approached her and held out her hand smirking, "Alex, I believe we've met before."

Coach Murphy and Red escorted both Alex and Sylvie to breakfast, where the rest of the team were waiting.

"Ladies!" Coach Murphy shouted. The group of players were all wearing their navy uniforms and were gathered across three long tables. They were yet to start eating and had all been chatting and patiently waiting when Red and Coach Murphy had entered with the girls.

"Fresh meat" one of the girls had shouted, causing the rest of the group to erupt into laughter.

"Easy girls" Red smirked. "We have two trialists joining us this week, Sylvie Summer scouted from Bartford University- plays in either full back position and Alex Vause, captain of Litchfield University- plays centre forward position. Be nice, these girls could be taking your spot- no one on this team is irreplaceable."

Red smiled at Alex and Sylvie before instructing the girls to start eating.

The breakfast room was set up in a buffet style. Fruit, yogurt and cereal was available at the cold food buffet. Alex's stomach churned when she passed the food, she really didn't feel like eating. Instead she made her way to the toast station and put two slices of brown bread into the industrial style toaster. Alex could sense that Sylvie was staring at her but chose to ignore her, if there was one thing she wanted to avoid today it was speaking to Sylvie Summer. Once Alex's toast was finished she made her way to the front of the room and awkwardly peered around for a space. Alex felt small and vulnerable in the vast room, like a new kid at school.

"Yo Specs, pull up a pew" one of the girls shouted over to Alex.

Alex smirked slightly at the nickname before pulling up a chair next to a young brunette girl.

The brunette smiled at Alex; "It's nothing personal" she said. "Everyone on the team has nicknames, this is JC, Sonny, Gibbo and I am Ashley"

"We haven't thought of a suitable nickname for her yet" Sonny stated.

Alex laughed and greeted each girl around the table.

"So Litchfield eh?" Ashley asked as she tucked into the plate of sausages and scrambled egg in front of her.

Alex nodded, finishing the piece of toast in her mouth before replying "Sophomore year."

"Wow, you're young for a trialist then!" JC chirped from the end of the table.

"You know what I think I've actually heard about you before!" Gibbo exclaimed. "You were top goal scorer last year weren't you? There was a massive story about you missing a penalty in the cup final."

Alex laughed; "Yep. Thanks for reminding me of that one".

"Better than scoring an own goal in the World cup semis, Gibbo" Sonny laughed.

"Hey, you said you wouldn't mention that again" Gibbo groaned, throwing her napkin at her friend. "Plus we won the match so there's no problem."

"Yeah we won no thanks to you" JC laughed.

Once breakfast was over Coach Murphy ordered everyone to go and collect their belongings ready to travel to the National Sports Centre. Alex picked up her gym bag and retrieved her phone from the side pocket. She unlocked it and scrolled through her good luck messages from Nicky and her mom, she saved Piper's message until last.

 **Piper: I miss you so much. I'm so proud of you. X**

Alex felt a sharp pang of admiration in her chest, she couldn't even begin to describe how she felt towards Piper. She began to type out a message as she left her room.

"I remember when I used to wish you'd smile at me like that", Alex looked up, startled to see Sylvie stood right in front of her. "Are you just going to ignore me this whole time?" Sylvie asked, gently grabbing onto Alex's arm.

"I'm here to play soccer Sylvie, I don't want drama" Alex said putting her phone into the side pocket of her bag and slowly moving away from Sylvie's touch.

"Don't you think you owe me an explanation?" Sylvie asked, sadness in her eyes. "I was completely falling in love with you and you just dropped me like I was nothing."

"I'm sorry Sylvie, I've told you before- I'm not a relationship person. I didn't mean to hurt you" Alex shifted awkwardly on her feet, looking up and down the corridor to ensure that none of her team mates walked in on this exchange.

"And what about now? The way you were looking at your phone? Are you ready for a relationship now?" Sylvie questioned.

"Things are different now Sylvie, we're here as team mates- that should be our focus this week," she felt bad as she smiled weakly at Sylvie and head off down the corridor.

Alex had met Sylvie in her freshman year, Litchfield had just been beaten by Bartford in the cup final and were drowning their sorrows in a local club when the Bartford girls had come in to celebrate. Alex had lost the game for the girls by missing a penalty and had gotten ridiculously drunk. She just wanted to forget her own existence. She revelled in the fact that Sylvie was giving her so much attention, Sylvie couldn't keep her hands off the dark haired girl. Alex had woken up the next day alongside her in bed. They'd met once more after that, at this meeting Sylvie had told Alex that she was slowly falling in love with her. It was all so fast and dramatic- Alex didn't want a relationship and had felt genuinely guilty to have to confess this to Sylvie. They hadn't seen each other since. Alex Vause was scared of commitment, well she _was_ scared of commitment- now adays commitment to one person in particular was all she could think about.

…...

Piper had her headphones in and was fast approaching her fifth hour of studying. She was sat cross legged on her bed surrounded by text books and was tapping wildly at her laptop. Piper was so immersed in her work that she didn't realise Lorna had entered.

"Are you still doing this?!" Lorna asked. Piper didn't reply to her friend and continued to rapidly tap on her keyboard.

"Piper?" Lorna shouted taking the headphones out of Piper's ears.

"Wh…what?" Piper stammered.

"Why are you still working?" Lorna asked crossing her arms. "You've been doing it all day, you need a break."

"I need to get it done Lorn" Piper replied, before returning her eyes to the screen.

"Hmm, either that or you're distracting yourself from a certain someone" Lorna stipulated. Piper hadn't been herself for the past few days, she was really trying- Lorna could see that but she was failing at hiding her despair. Lorna had tried everything to get Piper out of her room, even Nicky had tried but it was proving difficult.

"OK" Piper replied, defeated she put her laptop down on the bed in front of her. "Guilty."

Lorna uncrossed her arms and sat on the bed, looking at Piper with sympathetic eyes. "I know how you feel Pipes, it won't be long though- I promise."

"I really didn't expect to miss her this much" Piper laughed.

"Just shows how much you loveeeee her" Lorna sung.

"Fuck off" Piper laughed, nudging her friend. Piper had felt like a part of her had been missing for the last few days. She had spoken to Alex on the phone but it wasn't the same. All she wanted to do was see Alex's eyes, her lips, her face- to make sure she was okay. Piper's heart felt twisted and her stomach churned as she contemplated a life without Alex. Piper found herself spending the evenings thinking about what these feelings meant- surely this wasn't normal, to miss someone this much after a few days.

"We need to get you out of here," Lorna smiled, as she noticed that Piper's face had gone vacant. "Let's go for dinner, come on I'll message everyone and we'll all go for something to eat."

Piper sighed but eventually gave in, she was truly grateful to have a friend like Lorna.

…...

Lorna and Piper walked arm in arm to their favourite Italian restaurant in Litchfield, DeMarco's. Ever since the disastrous double date with Polly Piper had avoided the other restaurant on the college campus. DeMarco's was a quiet restaurant that not many people knew about, the restaurant had been introduced to the pair by the soccer team who often held their team meals here. The restaurant was spread across one level and there was a large bar located at the back of the room.

"Here they are, Mrs Vause and Mrs Nicholls" Boo shouted from across the restaurant.

The girls laughed as they approached the table; Boo, Poussey and Nicky already had drinks in front of them. Piper felt strange seeing the group without Alex- it just didn't feel right. Nicky noticed Piper's face drop slightly and moved around the table allowing Piper to take a seat in between her and Poussey- who nodded at Piper before continuing her Steph Curry vs Lebron James debate with Boo. Lorna rolled her eyes at the basketball conversation before disappearing off to the toilet.

"You okay Chapman?" Nicky whispered discreetly, she'd just ordered Lorna and Piper a cocktail each and her big brown eyes looked genuinely concerned as she spoke to Piper. Piper was continually being surprised by how much Nicky cared about her and Alex.

Piper nodded in response and smiled sweetly at Nicky, "I feel so pathetic missing her after a few days" she laughed.

"Love does funny things to you Chapman" Nicky replied, taking a sip of her drink and raising her eyebrow towards Piper.

Piper laughed at Nicky and took a sip of the cocktail that the waiter had just placed in front of her, it tasted like pure vodka and Piper could feel it affecting her head as soon as she swallowed the liquid. Lorna took a seat next to Nicky and smiled before lifting her drink to her mouth, she spluttered and coughed as the strong liqueur slid down her throat. Nicky patted Lorna on the back lovingly whilst laughing.

"These freshman still can't handle their drink" Nicky smirked shaking her head.

Piper laughed and jumped slightly as her phone vibrated, she quickly grabbed it and smiled as she saw Alex's name.

 **Alex: Hi beautiful. Just got back from training. I miss you. X**

 **Piper: Hey, have you had a good day? I miss you so much more**

 **Alex: I've had a great day, Red told me I'm coming along well- I'm just super tired now. What are you up too?**

 **Piper: I'm actually at dinner with all of your favourite people!**

 **Alex: Comfort eating because you miss me so much?**

 **Piper: Exactly!**

"How is she then?" Boo asked Piper.

"Who?" Piper replied startled as her attention was drawn away from her phone.

"I'm guessing from that goofy smile on your face you're talking to a certain tall, dark, lesbian?"

Piper laughed, "Oh yeah… She's fine, just tired -she's had loads of fitness tests the last couple of days". Piper loved being asked about Alex, it filled her with a sense of pride and love to know that she was now associated with the dark haired girl.

"She don't need fitness tests, couldn't you comment on her stamina Chapman?" Poussey asked, causing the girls to laugh in unison.

…...

Alex had spent her second afternoon being put through her paces by the team fitness instructor. The session had consisted of sprint training and weight lifting in the gym. Alex had passed all of her fitness tests with flying colours and was keen to impress over the last day and a half of trails. Alex was not surprised by the fact that she had played hardly any soccer, Bennett had warned her that the national team put emphasis on a player's physical and mental capabilities before focusing on their actual gameplay.

After their initial encounter on the first day of trials Alex had managed to avoid Sylvie. During their team meeting on the first day Alex had caught Sylvie staring at her but chose to smile civilly at her before turning away again. Alex wasn't the only one who was noticing Sylvie's uncomfortable obsession with the dark haired girl.

"What is her problem man?" Ashely had asked as Alex finished up another set of squats in their earlier gym session. "She keeps staring at you." Alex had turned around and shrugged her shoulders, Ashley was staring in the direction of Sylvie who was blushing- obviously ashamed at being caught.

"You know her?" Ashley probed, placing her hands under the weight bar to ensure Alex didn't drop any as she started after set off squats.

Alex sighed, _fuck._

"Kinda'" Alex said honestly.

Ashley raised her eyebrow in response.

"I hooked up with her about a year ago."

"Shit" Ashley laughed. "That's it? Just a hook up?"

"Yeah" Alex replied, shrugging her shoulders as they made their way back to the changing rooms. "She wanted more and I didn't, that was really it." Alex crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her polo shirt off, revealing the sports bra and toned abs underneath.

Ashley caught Sylvie checking Alex out in the mirror. "She's got it bad", Ashely laughed.

…...

"I finally get to play soccer today! Red wants it to be set up like a real match. The teams get announced this morning, we actually have to travel to the venue separately and everything" Alex explained as she unloaded her gym bag for the third time to check that she definitely had everything. She had her phone pinned to her ear by her right shoulder.

"Wow, they take it seriously then" Diane said down the phone.

"Mmm.." Alex hummed as she smoothed out a crease in her training kit.

"Come on, fess up- what's wrong?"

"Urgh, I'm just stuck in a sticky situation."

"Wanna' talk about it?"

"I feel like an awful person"

Diane stayed silent, allowing Alex to continue.

"There's someone here who I used to be… friendly…. with and she seems to still have feelings for me. I feel like such an awful person for making her upset"

"And how have you made her upset?"

"Because I told her when I last saw her that I didn't want a relationship."

"Well that's fair enough…"

"But now I feel differently, I do want a relationship- but not with her. Does that make me a bad person?"

"No babe, it certainly doesn't make you a bad person!"

"Mmm..."

"You've just got to think Al, what would make her more upset- you telling the truth or you stringing her along and allowing her feelings to get stronger?"

"True" Alex replied. "I've only got one person on my mind"

"That's my girl", Alex could almost hear Diane smiling down the phone. "You'll be back with her soon."

"I'm so excited" Alex smiled as she tucked everything safely back into her bag for the final time.

"Now you go and smash today babe, I'll be rooting for you."

"Thanks mom, love you"

"Love you too babe"

Alex smiled again as she hung up the phone, speaking to her mom always made her feel better. She felt a hunger for success rise in her stomach, she was going to give today all she had- not just for her own future but for her mom's.

Alex made her way down to breakfast and was stopped by Coach Murphy at the bottom of the elevator. The Coach had a clip board in her hand and ran her finger down the page of names.

"Vause," she said. "Team A." She pointed towards the conference centre which had been opened up as a makeshift breakfast room. Alex hauled her bag onto her shoulder and made her way into the conference room where Ashley was already sat at the table.

"Yes Specs" Ashley cheered as she fist pumped Alex. "The A team are part of Team A".

Alex laughed and took a seat next to her. The room had been set up to mirror the main breakfast area, there were jugs of water and orange juice placed on the single long table. A waiter greeted the girls and placed a basket of bakery products in the middle of the table. Alex looked up the table, scanning the faces of today's team mates. She noticed that Sylvie was sat at the end of the table, Alex sighed in relief- the last thing she wanted was to be attacking against Sylvie today.

"Welcome to the best day of trials" Ashely exclaimed as she lifted her glass of orange towards Alex before taking a sip. "You ready?" she asked.

Alex nodded as she reached for a croissant from the basket in the middle of the table, "Ready as I'll ever be".

As the room filled up the girls chatted nervously between themselves, there was an uncomfortable tension in the air as the team waited to for their transport.

"Why is everyone so nervous?" Alex asked quietly.

"This isn't just a trial for you Specs," Ashley replied, spreading jam on her croissant. "This is a trail for everyone, you heard what Red said- no one is irreplaceable."

…...

Alex felt like she was in an alternative world, dressed in her blue Team USA kit she was playing her usual changing room playlist through her headphones. The music pumped through Alex's body, she tapped her feet in time to the beat and closed her eyes. It was strange to be in a changing room without Janae's last minute press ups or Nicky's crazy dancing. Alex smiled slightly at the memory. She opened her eyes and removed her headphones as Red entered the room. Alex pulled her socks up higher before giving the red headed woman her full attention.

"Right girls" she barked. "The majority of you know how this works, for those who don't- let me explain. Today those girls in the other room are not your friends, they are not your team mates, they are your enemies. The people in this room are your team, your family, you are to put everything on the line for them today. If you do not perform in this game, I do not expect you to perform in the big games."

Alex glanced around the changing rooms nervously, the majority of the girls seemed equally worried.

"Vause, Summer- you'll both be starting on the bench. We'll get you both on for the second half," Red said before demanding the girls to get ready and out onto the pitch as soon as possible.

Alex felt slightly disappointed that she wouldn't be starting the match, it was an unfamiliar feeling for Alex to not be favoured on the soccer pitch- the feeling only added fuel to the fire growing in her stomach. Alex pulled on her coat and threw a neon vest over it- signalling that she was a team substitute. She followed the rest of the team out of the changing rooms but instead of heading onto the pitch she took a seat on the bench running adjacent to it. Sylvie took a seat next to Alex.

Throughout the first half Red paced along the touchline of the pitch barking orders at the girls, Coach Murphy marched behind the older woman occasionally writing down notes on a small notepad. Alex watched the match in awe, the speed and agility of the women close up was quite terrifying. Team B seemed to have a physical advantage and dominated the match, Sonny was lethal as a defender and wasn't letting Ashley have a second on the ball. Alex was getting frustrated watching her team lose the ball repeatedly in important areas. By the time the half time whistle had blown Team A were losing 3 goals to nil.

The team were sat in a defeated silence when Red had entered the changing room.

"Vause, Summer you're on" Red barked. "Girls, I'm not going to tell you how to get yourself out of this hole, you're all professionals you need to come up with a solution" she looked expectantly at the team who awkwardly glanced around waiting for someone to speak up.

"We could break Sonny's legs?" one of the girls suggested jokingly.

"Do you think this is funny?" Red glared at the girl who had made the suggestion.

"Urm… I have an idea" Alex spoke up nervously. Red looked at Alex, urging her to continue. "We seem to be losing the ball whenever it's played straight to our striker's feet, Sonny's too good to play like that. We have to exploit her weakness- her pace. If we make the runs in behind her and lift the ball with enough precision our striker's will be in on goal easily."

The room stayed silent after Alex had finished speaking.

Red raised her eyebrow, "Now someone explain to me why it took a fucking _trialist_ to figure that out" she spat before slamming the door behind her.

Alex's heart was beating incredibly fast as she stood waiting for the second half to begin, as soon as the whistle blew her nerves disappeared and she snapped into 'game mode'. Alex chased down every ball and made hazy runs around the pitch attempting to perplex the defenders. Alex could tell that the defenders were tiring, she spotted that Sonny had left a gap in the back four of defenders and darted towards it- Alex pointed at the space with her hand as Sylvie ran with the ball down the right wing. Sylvie crossed the ball, it reached Alex who chested it onto her right foot and volleyed it into the top right corner of the goal. Ashley jumped onto the back of Alex and it felt as though the rest of the team had joined her. Alex bent over with the weight of the team, her head and back being repeatedly tapped by her excited teammates. When the girls had released her Alex ran to the goal and retrieved the ball, ready to go again. As she was running back to the centre of the pitch she called out to Sylvie.

"Summer?"

Sylvie turned around. Alex held out her hand, "Nice ball." Sylvie smiled and slapped Alex's hand with her own.

"Trialists are running the show," She smirked.

Alex had a hand in the team's second goal as well. She received the ball on the left wing and passed it through the legs of one of the defenders, she could see Ashley making a run into the middle of the box and chipped the ball perfectly into her. Ashely stuck out a long leg and the ball looped over the goalkeeper and into the back of the net. Alex lifted her arms into the air in jubilation, Ashley pointed towards Alex and ran towards her to celebrate.

Alex was preparing herself for the gameplay to start again when the final whistle blew. She looked around confused, she didn't realise that the match had been going on so long. Her heart dropped as she realised that despite her efforts they had lost the match. She respectfully shook hands with the other team and congratulated them on their victory.

"I can't believe you play college soccer Specs, you ran rings around me" Sonny laughed. Alex smiled at Sonny but couldn't hide the disappointment from her face as she head off the field.

"Well played kid" Red said, patting Alex on the back as she passed.

…...

The teams piled off the coaches at the hotel and said their goodbyes in the foyer. The training camp was officially over and the team were all due to head back home.

"It was nice to meet you" Gibbo said, "I'm sorry about the penalty dig" she smiled at Alex.

"Bye Specs, thanks for the assist today- I owe you" Ashley hugged Alex, who hugged her back almost awkwardly.

"Vause? Summer? Can you spare 5 minutes?" Coach Murphy called from across the foyer. Alex and Sylvie followed Coach Murphy through the foyer and into Red's office.

"Girls…" Red smiled looking at the two girls. "Well done for getting through trails. I hope we haven't scared you too much. You've both done really well. Coach Murphy and I will take some time to compile our notes and make a decision about what we think is next for the pair of you. As you may know, we have been invited to take part in an Invitational cup in the summer- the top 8 teams in the world will be competing. If all goes well we hope that you will be able to join us at that tournament. Safe journey home, we'll write to you when we've made a decision."

Red extended her hand to the girls one by one and shook their hands.

 **A/N- Thanks for the great response to me being back! I love seeing what you guys think. This chapter took me longer than expected because I thought it seemed a bit too jumpy. I'll still not thrilled with it but hopefully you enjoy! I have full on plans for the next 6 chapters and have ideas for more after that so plenty more to come with this story. As long as you are enjoying- I'll keep writing! Lots of love- C. xxx**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"Fuck" Alex muttered, her foot caught in the strap of her bag causing her to trip on the stairs. "Fucking stupid fucking bag" she murmured under her breath as she hauled it up the final few steps.

"Christ Vause I thought you were fucking breaking in."

Alex jumped at the stranger's voice causing her to drop her bag once more. She looked up as Nicky emerged from the shadows, she pulled her hood off revealing her wild mane of hair and dropped the baseball bat that she was holding in front of her face.

Alex laughed, "What the fuck were you going to do with that?!"

Nicky looked serious before her eyes softened and she laughed at her friend. "I've missed you man" she burst as she pulled Alex into a bear hug.

"Easy Nicholls, is this what getting a girlfriend does to you?" Alex laughed pulling back from her friend's hug.

"Fuck off" Nicky joked, elbowing Alex in the ribs.

….

"Is it true that they make you eat dog food as an initiation before you starting training?"

Nicky was sprawled on the sofa cradling a mug of hot tea between her hands.

Alex laughed, shaking her head.

"You laugh but if you think about it dog food has got to have some nutritional value" Nicky rambled. "I mean you look at how fast some dogs are… it's all in the protein man."

Nicky continued rambling about how she might present the idea to Bennett for their next game when Alex abruptly interrupted her.

"So, Sylvie was at trials", Alex attempted to sound nonchalant although her statement sounded forced and strained in her own ears. She'd been rehearsing this moment the whole plane journey home.

"What?!" Nicky exclaimed, swearing as her tea spilled over the brim of her mug and burned the exposed skin on her chest.

Alex smiled weakly at her friend, nodding slowly. She sighed and placed her glasses onto the top of her head.

"I swear to god Vause you must attract drama or some shit," she continued as she placed her mug on the floor and wiped at her chest with her sleeve. Suddenly she froze and looked at Alex with wide eyes, "Alex, please tell me you didn't…"

"No… fuck, no! No way" Alex stammered, knowing exactly what her friend was thinking.

"Thank god", Nicky sighed.

There was a time when Alex would have jumped at the chance to fuck Sylvie, she would have jumped at the chance to fuck anyone. But things were different now.

"Was it awkward?" Nicky asked as she carefully picked her mug up from the floor again.

Alex shrugged, "I mean, I think I made it pretty clear that I wasn't into her- which was awkward, but she made it pretty fucking obvious to everyone that we had history."

"Shit" Nicky replied. "You going to tell Piper about her?"

Alex looked up at the mention of Piper, her heartrate increased at the thought of making Piper look at her the way that Sylvie had- she couldn't bear to see the same disappointment and hurt in the blonde's eyes.

"Do you think I should?" Alex asked.

"You don't want anything to bite you on the arse Alex- I'd tell her if I was you".

Alex nodded in response and the pair sat in silence for a few moments. Nicky settled back on the sofa and pulled her legs up to her chest, sipping on her tea.

"You do believe me don't you Nick? That nothing happened?"

"Of course I do!"

"Because I'm not like how I used to be- you know in the past I've done things but-"

"You're serious about her aren't you?" Nicky interrupted, meeting her friend's green eyes.

Alex nodded vulnerably.

Nicky smiled at her friend, she already knew the answer to her question- it was obvious. Nicky had known Alex for a little over a year and a half, since they'd started college. Back then the pair had made a name for themselves for attracting female attention. They would spend their evenings drinking and smoking whilst looking for equally drunk college girls to seduce and fuck. Alex was particularly good at it, it was almost as though she could merely look at a girl and they'd be hers- it was a gift. But Nicky had never seen this version of Alex before, taking girls back to visit her mom and panicking about exes was not what Alex Vause did.

….

"What do I wear?" Piper said frantically flicking through her wardrobe. Her hair was straight at the back with two curls framing her face. Her makeup was soft and natural but her blue eyes were framed by long eyelashes that were layered with black mascara. She was wearing a matching set of black lace underwear and nothing else. Piper was preparing to go out for dinner with Alex, it'd been so hard to not rush around to Alex's the minute that she had returned from Chicago but Piper had decided to play it cool- she didn't want to scare Alex off.

Lorna was lay on Piper's bed lazily flicking through a magazine. She had been blocking out Piper's nervous chattering for the past half an hour. Piper turned towards Lorna and put her hands on her hips.

"Wear whatever Piper, I'm sure you won't be wearing it long anyway" Lorna winked at her friend. Piper shook her head at Lorna and then tipped her head back in despair. When she received no reaction from her friend she sighed again, louder this time.

"OK, OK" Lorna said, she threw her magazine onto the bed and strode over to Piper. "You definitely need to wear these jeans" she handed Piper a pair of black skinny jeans that had never been worn before. "And… Umm… try this." Lorna picked out a khaki skin tight, long sleeved top. She sat down at the end of the bed as Piper pulled the outfit on and spun her body side to side in the mirror attempting to assess herself from all angles.

"You're a genius Lorn" Piper smiled as she completed the outfit with a black necklace and some black boots.

Lorna smirked at her friend, "You look hot! She'll definitely ask you out looking like that."

Piper laughed and shook her head, "She's not going to ask me out Lorna." As Piper said the words she couldn't help but hope that she was wrong. As time passed Piper had been thinking more and more about being Alex's girlfriend. The thought gave her mixed feelings, she wanted Alex to be hers but she also felt guilty that part of her deep down was still confused by the fact that she liked a girl.

Piper turned to face Lorna, who had suddenly gone quiet, the brunette was staring straight past Piper-her gaze firmly fixed on the doorway. Piper followed her gaze, her breath hitching as she did. Polly was stood at the door glancing awkwardly between the two friends. Piper had been expecting a visit from Polly ever since she had snubbed her at Alex's party. She was surprised that it had taken Polly this long to seek out an apology.

"Hey" Polly said quietly, looking directly at Piper.

"Hi" Piper replied.

"I was hoping to speak to you… alone", this time Polly looked directly at Lorna who glared back at her but didn't budge. Piper admired her friend's loyalty but knew that this was something she had to face alone, she turned and nodded at Lorna who understood the sign and brushed past Polly as she left the room. Lorna gently closed the door behind her.

Once left alone the two girls looked at each other awkwardly, before Polly spoke up- "You look nice."

"Thanks."

Silence enveloped the pair again.

"Are you going anywhere nice?"

Piper knew that this was the moment that she could lie, she could say she was going out for dinner with Lorna or that she was going to meet an old friend. Piper thought of Alex's face, of the face that she had grown to love- the mere thought of lying about her made Piper feel sick.

 _It's time to be brave, Chapman._

"Actually I'm going out for dinner with Alex" Piper smiled, surprised by how steady her voice sounded. Piper could hear her heartbeat in her ears as she waited for the brunette's reaction.

"Alex Vause?" Polly asked, raising her eyebrow when Piper nodded in response. "So the rumours are true then? About you two? You're like together now?"

Piper paused, she opened her mouth to respond about the rumours. It made her slightly anxious that people were talking about her and Alex. However, the blonde found herself smiling back at Polly, she was smiling because she knew how much it would mean to Alex that people knew Piper was hers. Piper rehearsed in her head what it would be like to tell Alex that she had been honest about their blossoming relationship. Suddenly nothing else mattered to Piper, she would shout her feelings from the rooftops if it meant seeing Alex happy.

"Yeah… I guess we kinda' are together."

Polly nodded uncomfortably, "So what you're like… a lesbian?"

Piper laughed softly, "I don't think so, I haven't really thought about what I am. I just really like a girl."

Polly looked down at her feet.

Piper decided that it was time for her to be the bigger person, "I'm sorry for leaving you at dinner Polly but I wasn't being true to myself by being there on a date with Larry- I had to do what was best for me."

Polly nodded slowly again, she was struggling to meet Piper's eyes and looked incredibly uncomfortable. "I just wanted to know we were cool" she said. "I need to get going, but I'll see you around?"

Polly looked as though she couldn't wait to get out of the room, she backed towards the door and smiled apologetically towards the blonde. As Polly opened up the door she exposed Lorna who stumbled slightly as she tried to regain her balance. Lorna blushed and steadied herself as she entered the room, Polly ignored the brunette and continued to walk hurriedly down the corridor.

Piper sighed and sat down on the edge of her bed, adrenaline was surging through her body. Piper felt brave and strong, almost empowered- a feeling that was unknown to her.

"I am so proud of you Piper" Lorna exclaimed, pulling her friend into a hug.

….

 **Alex: You aren't standing me up are you? ;)**

Alex was waiting on the campus quad for Piper. She felt nervous to see her again, it was difficult to figure out why. The blonde has occupied Alex's thoughts constantly for the past week, she couldn't wait to see that smile again, to look into those blue eyes. Piper was late, Alex was anxiously flitting her gaze from her surroundings to her phone for any sign of the blonde.

 _Calm down Vause, she'll show up._

Alex scanned the quad and saw Piper strutting towards her, even from the distance she could tell the smile that was plastered across the blonde's face. Piper looked insane, her legs seemed to go on forever and her slim body was perfectly caressed by her skin tight top. Alex shook her head in disbelief, she still couldn't believe this girl was willing to spend time with her.

"You just going to stand there gawking?" Piper asked seductively as she reached Alex. Alex opened her mouth to respond but was taking aback by Piper's beauty up close. Would this girl ever stop impressing her?

"I'll take that as a yes" Piper laughed as she placed her hands either of Alex's face.

Alex smiled and placed her hands on Piper's waist, "Hi baby." She pulled Piper's body closer to her own and looked down into the Piper's eyes. "You look unbelievable." Piper smiled and looked between Alex's eyes and lips. Alex smirked before leaning down and capturing Piper's lips with her own. Alex's stomach fluttered as she made contact with the beautiful form in front of her. The kiss was soft and passionate, Alex's legs felt weak as she drew back. She lifted a hand from Piper's waist and pushed one of Piper's curls away from her face- tucking it behind her ear.

"I missed you so much", Piper whispered.

Alex stroked Piper's cheek softly, "I missed you too Pipes." Alex gravitated towards Piper's lips once more, she kept her hand on Piper's waist as their mouths moved in sync. Alex forced herself to detach her lips from Pipers. Their faces stayed close together as they both caught their breath.

"Shall we go and get food?" Piper asked breathlessly, the kiss was everything she had been imagining. Alex looked amazing and Piper had to try hard to stop herself pulling the dark haired girl into another kiss.

"I know what I'd rather be eating" Alex whispered seductively as she smirked in Piper's direction.

Piper laughed and playfully smacked Alex on the arm, Alex reciprocated the laugh and intertwined her fingers with Piper's as they walked towards the restaurant. Spring was fast approaching and the evening air was a comfortable temperature. The pair laughed and joked as they walked the short distance to DeMarco's.

When they arrived at the restaurant they were greeted by a young guy with an impressive beard. Alex told the young waiter that she had a reservation before the pair followed him through the restaurant. The aroma of the Italian food filled Pipers nose, it made her mouth water longingly. Alex attracted attention from fellow customers as the majority smiled or shouted out greetings in her direction- Alex patiently greeted every person back before holding her arm out behind her gesturing for Piper to take her hand. Piper obliged and smiled at Alex's gesture of public affection. The pair's table was at the back of the restaurant, next to the large bar. The table was set up with candles and looked out onto the small beer garden at the back of the establishment. The young waiter pulled a chair back for Piper and took the girl's drink orders. Alex thanked him before giving Piper her full attention.

"I feel like we're on a grown up date" Piper smiled and she took a sip of the drink the waiter had just placed in front of her.

"Wow Chapman, throwing the d word around" Alex smirked.

"Dick" Piper retorted.

"Ew… that d word is even worse" Alex replied, scrunching up her nose in a way that made Piper's heart flip.

The waiter returned to take the girl's food orders. Alex watched adoringly as Piper struggled to decide between having a calzone or a pizza- despite Alex insisting that both were the same. Eventually Piper settled for the calzone and sat back in her chair- evidently satisfied with her decision.

"So… fill me in?" Piper asked once the waiter had collected their menus and disappeared into the centre of the restaurant.

"What here?" Alex asked, raising her eyebrow suggestively as she scanned the room.

"You are impossible to have a serious conversation with" Piper laughed.

"Ok, I'll stop", Alex smiled- her eyes dancing with humour.

Alex proceeded to tell Piper about trials. She described all of the team in detail as Piper listened carefully. Alex explained her gym sessions, training classes and the final match. She told Piper how at home she felt with the team and how much she could see herself making a career out of soccer. Piper loved how proud Alex seemed when she was talking about the national team.

"It just felt right to be wearing the kit, yano'?"

"So what's next?" Piper asked as she thanked the waiter who had just placed her calzone in front of her.

"Well… Red said that she'd write with a decision. Ashley said that they usually write within a week of leaving trials so I should know in the next few days," Alex looked at Piper nervously as she picked up her knife and fork.

"It sounds like you made quite the impact though" Piper smiled.

Alex smiled sweetly at Piper in response, "I think you made a bigger impact" Alex said as she put a fork full of lasagne into her mouth.

"What do you mean?" Piper asked, confused.

"With my mom, you made quite an impact. She really likes you" Alex said, smiling as she noticed how Piper's face lit up.

"Really?"

Alex nodded, "I've never taken a girl home before- I'm glad you were the first" she smiled shyly at Piper.

"What about you? Any gossip?" Alex asked as she wiped at her mouth with a napkin.

"Actually I do have something to tell you!" Piper said excitedly, taking her last bite of calzone and placing her knife and fork together on the plate. "So I spoke to Polly earlier."

"Oh yeah? And how did that go?"

"I told her that you and I are basically together"

Alex's heart lifted and her eyes softened. "You did?"

Piper nodded in response.

"How was that?"

"I liked it"

"I like it too"

"Do you want to get dessert or get out of here?" Piper asked as she used her foot to stroke Alex's calf under the table. Alex raised an eyebrow at the blonde seductively. Piper responded by putting her straw in her mouth and maintaining eye contact as she sucked on it.

Alex felt her lower stomach tighten at the sight. "Excuse me" she called out to the passing waiter, "Can we have the bill please?"

"What no dessert?" Piper asked innocently.

 _Jesus this girl will be the death of me._

"I thought we could have dessert back at my place?" Alex replied, her eyes darkening significantly with lust.

Alex insisted on paying for the whole meal, no matter how much Piper protested. Alex tipped their waiter and thanked him as she held her hand out- gesturing for Piper to join her. As Piper stood up Alex kissed her hand dramatically before intertwining their fingers and heading out into the night. The girls walked along in a happy silence, occasionally smiling down at each other. When they reached Alex's house Alex held the door open allowing Piper to enter. There was a hub of activity in the living room as Alex's teammates seemed to be gathered for a film night. They cheered and shouted out greetings as the pair entered.

"Joining us for a film lovebirds?" Nicky shouted.

"No thanks, we have plans" Alex smirked. Piper's cheeks glowed red as she pushed Alex playfully. The rest of the girls wolf whistled and cheered again as Alex and Piper made their way upstairs.

"You know what I've just realised?" Piper asked as they reached Alex's room and shut the door behind them.

"What's that?" Alex asked as she took off her leather jacket and hung it up on the back of her door.

"I forgot to bring along some pyjamas" Piper said innocently, Alex turned around to find the blonde smirking at her.

"Oh no," Alex smiled, walking slowly towards Piper. "What on earth are we going to do now?"

Alex reached Piper and looked down in her blue eyes. "Have I told you how beautiful you are?" she whispered.

Piper nodded, moving her lips closer to Alex's. "I think you may have mentioned it once or twice" she smiled as she whispered against Alex's lips.

Alex took a strand of Piper's hair between her fingers and played with it lovingly. "I missed you so much" Alex said, she was looking down at Piper's hair in her hand.

"I missed you too Al" Piper hooked her hand under Alex's chin forcing the dark haired girl to make eye contact with her.

Piper felt a surge of electricity through her body as she met Alex's green eyes. Before she could register what was happening Alex had crashed her lips against Piper's. The kiss wasn't gentle, it was full of raw lust and desire. Alex raked her hands into Piper's hair and moved her backwards until her back hit the door. Piper groaned and lifted her lips from Alex's, tilting her head backwards. Alex ceased the opportunity to attack Piper's neck with her mouth which caused Piper to moan louder. Piper placed her hands on Alex's waist and pulled her closer, Alex gave the blonde what she was waiting for and pushed Piper harder against the door- pressing her body against Piper's as she did so. Alex moved her lips up from Piper's neck and nibbled on her ear gently.

"Al…" Piper moaned as she slammed her lips against Alex's once more. As Alex's mouth opened in response to the kiss Piper entered her tongue causing Alex to groan into the blonde's mouth. Their tongues fought for dominance as Alex pushed Piper harder against the door, fighting to get friction in the place she needed it most. Piper noticed what Alex was doing and lifted her knee so that sat between Alex's legs. Alex moaned loudly into Piper's ear as the blonde moved her knee slowly in circles, Alex bucked her hips in response.

Piper loved the sound of Alex moaning, it turned her on so much to know that she was the cause of the sounds escaping the dark haired girl's mouth. Piper removed her hands from Alex's waist and quickly undone the buttons of Alex's jeans, she manoeuvred the trousers down far enough so that her knee was resting directly against the lace of Alex's underwear.

"Pipes!" Alex gasped as the pleasure intense due to the removal of one layer of clothing. Piper captured Alex's mouth with her lips as she swiftly replaced her knee with her hand. Piper groaned into Alex's mouth as she felt the wet material of Alex's underwear- she could tell by Alex's increased breathing that she wasn't far away from her climax. Alex whimpered as Piper put her hand down Alex's underwear and used two long fingers to rub small centres at her centre. Piper could feel Alex shaking against her and turned her around swiftly so that Alex's back was against the wall. As Piper pushed firmly against Alex once more she simultaneously entered two digits inside of her causing Alex to shout out in pleasure. Alex bucked her hips repeatedly as Piper thrust her fingers deeper.

"Does this feel good babe?" Piper asked seductively.

"Y…Yes" Alex groaned as she leant further back against the wall for balance. Piper picked up the pace of her fingers and used her thumb to rub circles on Alex's swollen clit. The pressure caused Alex's breath to hitch and Piper could feel her body trembling. The blonde crashed her lips against Alex's once more and swallowed her moans as she tipped over the edge and came violently. Piper removed her lips from Alex's and placed gentle kisses down her neck. Piper kissed her way back up Alex's neck and kissed her softly on the lips.

….

Piper was lay with her arm draped over Alex's toned stomach, which was rising and falling rapidly. Alex lay back on her pillows and leant for her phone which was on the bedtime table next to her. She smiled smugly as she surveyed her room, there were items of Piper's clothing thrown everywhere. Alex grabbed her phone and tapped the home button revealing the time.

"Jesus Pipes, it's 2:00am!"

"No way?!" Piper laughed.

Alex locked her phone again and plugged into her charger before turning to face the blonde next to her.

"That was a pretty impressive 4 hour sex marathon" Alex said smugly.

"I agree" Piper said leaning up to kiss Alex sweetly.

Alex felt a sudden wave of guilt wash over her, this must have been reflected in her facial expression as Piper raised an eyebrow, "What's up?"

"I have something to tell you", Alex had tried to push Sylvie to the back of her mind but she had an overwhelming feeling deep down that she had done something wrong. Nicky was right- Alex didn't want Sylvie to ruin this, she had to be honest.

"There's I didn't tell you about trails…" Piper looked at Alex patiently, Alex looked down at the blonde and exhaled deeply, puffing her cheeks out.

"Al… what is it?" The longer the silence went on the more anxious Piper was growing.

"So last year after the cup final… you know the one we lost… well one of the girls who plays for Bartford, Sylvie, I… we hooked up" Alex was surprised at how difficult it was to say the words.

When Alex stopped speaking Piper spoke up, "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because Sylvie was at trials. I didn't expect her to be there! I… I didn't know she would be there… but she was" Alex finished quietly.

"I'm still confused Al... did something happen?"

"No! No way… definitely not Pipes. I would never do that, you're the only person I can think about!"

"In that case it doesn't matter Al, everyone has a past."

"I don't deserve you" Alex replied, she felt so relieved that Sylvie hadn't managed to come between her and Piper. Alex took Piper's face between her hands and kissed her softly and passionately, caressing Piper's tongue with her own. She poured every ounce of affection into the kiss as she rolled on top of the naked blonde.

….

 **A/N- I was going to write the next two chapters together but decided against it as I want to give you guys something to read now! Next chapter is going to have a tiny bit of Vauseman drama and the one after is going to amazing- can't wait to write it! I can't seem to stop getting ideas for this story so hopefully it will go on for a while! Please leave reviews and let me know what you think, seeing that I have a notification for a review/new follower makes me crazy happy. Again, if you have any ideas please let me know. Also give me a follow on twitter: Infatuation_CSC I love you allll! C x**


	14. Chapter 14

"Piper, are you coming?" Lorna asked.

"Yeah give me one second!" Piper shouted as she saved the document on her laptop and grabbed her jacket from the closet.

It had been almost 2 weeks since the end of trails and Alex still hadn't heard any news. Piper herself had been distracted by upcoming college deadlines but had still noticed an evident shift in Alex's behaviour. The sudden change in Alex's attitude and personality made Piper nervous. She got the sense that Alex had been avoiding her and it left the blonde with a constant uncertain churning in her stomach. She hadn't seen Alex for four days and communication between the pair was almost non-existent. Piper repeatedly told herself it was about the soccer but she couldn't keep the doubts from creeping into her mind.

Piper pulled on her jacket and picked her phone up from the bed. She unlocked it and scrolled through her unanswered text messages to Alex from the last few days.

 **Piper: Hey babe, are you having a good day?**

 **Piper: Night Al, guessing you've been busy today maybe see you tomorrow?**

 **Piper: Morning, I'm coming to training later- see you then?**

 **Piper: Do you want to do something tonight?**

 **Piper: ?**

 **Piper: Al, you ok?**

Piper sighed and shoved her phone in her pocket as she left the room. Lorna was waiting for her in the corridor and noted the look on Piper's face.

"Still not heard anything from Alex?" Lorna asked sadly.

Piper shook her head and plunged her hands in her pocket. Lorna linked her arm with Piper's as they stepped out into the evening. The evenings were starting to become lighter and the air was a comfortable temperature as the pair head out towards the training pitches.

"I just don't understand. What's changed?" Lorna asked timidly.

Piper shrugged, shaking slightly despite the air not being cold. Lorna pulled her friend closer as they continued to walk together- she knew as much as anyone that Alex's behaviour the last few days was really out of character. It was as though someone had pressed a switch, causing Alex to retreat within herself. Lorna could see the effect it was having on her friend, Piper was trying to be strong but Lorna could tell that the confusion and uncertainty was killing her.

"Everything will be OK Piper," Lorna said sweetly, smiling across to her friend.

They reached the training pitch and waved over at the members of the soccer team who had already started to warm up. The training pitch was an artificial surface surrounded by high fences and flood lights. The pitch was beautifully cut and a number of students were scattered around the perimeter of the field waiting for the session to begin. The soccer season was well underway and news had quickly travelled that Alex had tried out for the national team- this had only spiked interest in the sport.

Piper and Lorna made their way around the edge of the pitch to the small seating area. They perched on one of the small plastic benches and watched as Bennett rounded up the girls for the start of the training session.

Piper looked around, anxiously searching for Alex. "Where are they?"

Lorna strained her neck and surveyed the training pitch, "There's Nicky." Lorna pointed at the wild haired girl who was jogging towards the pair.

Piper stood up as Nicky approached, "Where's Alex?" Piper's heart was beating fast and she could hear the blood pumping in her ears. It was so unlike Alex to miss training- no matter what was going on in her head.

Nicky sighed and looked sympathetically at Piper, "Don't even get me started."

Piper looked sternly at Nicky, urging her to explain.

"She's quit soccer."

"She's done what?! She's quit… what the fuck?" Piper stammered.

"Jesus, why?" Lorna echoed, standing up to join Piper.

"Because she didn't get into nationals, she thinks it's a 'sign'" Nicky said, using her fingers to quote the word. Nicky looked helpless as she ran a hand through her mane of hair. She looked across to Piper uncertainly, waiting for her reaction.

"Wait, she doesn't know that hasn't actually got into the team does she?" Piper asked, confused.

"C'mon Chapman, it's been 2 weeks… chances are pretty slim."

Piper sighed, "I'm going to go and see her."

"I wouldn't if I…"

Piper shot Nicky a look that caused the wild haired girl to stop in her tracks. Nicky lifted her hands up in defeat. Piper said goodbye and marched off around the training pitch.

"This isn't going to end well" Nicky groaned.

….

Alex had been a shell of her normal self for the past few days. She hadn't even spoken to her mom properly, she felt as though her heart had been ripped from her chest. Alex knew that Nicky thought she was being dramatic, no-one understood though- Alex had been made to believe that she would have a career in soccer and now it had been taken away from her. It was the only thing she was good at, although now she wasn't even sure that she was good at it. It would have been too painful for her to continue playing with the Litchfield girls, each moment on the pitch would remind her of what she could have had. It made Alex's blood boil to think that she was just another girl who had tried and failed for the national team. Alex felt guilty for pushing away the closest people to her but this was how she dealt with adversity- she hid.

Piper walked at full speed to Alex's house, her mind was whirring with all the things she wanted to ask Alex, all of the things she wanted to say. Alex couldn't quit soccer, it was her life. Piper was fast learning that Alex dealt with her problems best on her own but the blonde couldn't help but worry about how much of a state Alex must be in to have come to this conclusion. Piper thought about college, if Alex quit soccer her scholarship would fall through and she would no longer be able to attend Litchfield. Piper swallowed the lump in her throat and walked faster, life without Alex just wasn't worth thinking about.

Piper didn't even bother to knock on the door of the house and walked straight into the living room. The house was eerily quiet with all of the girls at training, Piper scanned the kitchen and living room before making her way to Alex's bedroom. Alex's door was shut but Piper knocked twice before entering the room. There were no lights on and the curtains had been drawn. As Piper's eyes adjusted to the room she spotted Alex curled up on the bed, Alex was facing away from Piper and the blonde could just about work out Alex's phone on the bedside table next to her. Piper's heart twisted as she realised that Alex had probably been inches away from her phone for the past few days but had still been ignoring Piper's messages.

"Al?" Piper asked quietly. Piper suddenly felt uncomfortable, as though she didn't belong here. When Alex didn't stir Piper decided it would be best to sneak away before Alex realised she was there. They say that when faced with an adverse situation the body encounters a flight or fight reaction, Piper Chapman wanted to take flight.

"I really don't want to talk right now Pipes", Alex's voice was hoarse- as though she hadn't spoken for a while. Piper's heart flipped at Alex's use of her nickname, somehow it signalled that things were normal. It reminded Piper that she couldn't escape this, she needed to stay and be there for Alex.

Piper took a seat gingerly on the edge of the bed, she peered over at Alex who was under the duvet with her hood covering her face. Alex didn't flinch when the bed sunk slightly as Piper sat down. Piper sat in silence for a few moments before speaking up.

"Alex, what's happening?"

Alex didn't respond, Piper could feel angry tears forming in her eyes. She found it so frustrating that Alex was so close to her but felt so far away.

"This isn't you Al." Piper whispered.

"You've only known me 6 months, how do you know what's me and what isn't?" Alex replied sharply.

Piper swallowed again, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up at the tone of Alex's voice. "I'm just trying to understand, you know you could still get onto the team right?"

"I said I don't want to talk" Alex snapped.

"But I just want to help" Piper said weakly.

Alex sprung upright, the duvet dropped off her as she looked at Piper for the first time. Her eyes were bloodshot and her face was red and swollen. It was obvious that Alex had been crying and the thought made Piper feel like crying herself, but the look in Alex's eye didn't warrant feeling sorry for- Alex looked mad.

"Piper I've told you that I don't want to talk about it OK? If you really want to help so much then please, leave me alone," Alex spat.

The words stabbed Piper in the heart, her eyes started to fill with tears as she rose from the bed and left the room.

Alex lay back down on the bed and covered her head with the duvet. As she burrowed her head back into the pillow tears started to fall from her eyes. Once they started she couldn't stop them, she heard the front door slam and desperately tried to regain control of her breathing. The look on Piper's face was haunting Alex's thoughts, she couldn't believe she'd spoken to Piper like that- Piper didn't deserve that. Alex clenched her fists angrily, she knew how selfish she was being. That was the problem though, Alex Vause wasn't used to having to think of other people's feelings.

Piper walked numbly down the stairs and out of the house. She felt deflated and upset, Alex's words had torn through Piper's body- she felt as though her heart had been ripped to a million pieces. The short conversation had made Piper rethink everything, Alex was right- they had only known each other for 6 months- Piper was starting to think she didn't know Alex at all. During the walk home Piper replayed the conversation over and over in her head, each time she became more confused than before.

Piper sunk onto her bed, she still felt numb and was struggling to get her thoughts in order. She just kept thinking about what would happen next, the thought worried her more than anything. Piper scrolled aimlessly between the social media apps on her phone, she wasn't paying attention to anything on her screen- she just needed a distraction.

….

Piper was curled up in a ball on her bed with her phone lay flat on her chest when Lorna and Nicky entered the room.

"Pipes?" Lorna whispered gently.

Piper opened her eyes slowly and groaned as the memories of the evening rushed back to her. She was exhausted with the effort of overthinking and had obviously dozed off whilst looking through her phone. Lorna and Nicky looked like concerned parents as they hovered over her bed. Piper sat up and drew her knees up to her chin-wrapping her arms around them protectively. Lorna and Nicky perched at the edge of the bed and looked at Piper warily.

"So how did it go?" Lorna asked.

Piper's face crumped as she burst into tears. It was the first time she had allowed the real fear and upset she felt to become visible. She gulped for air as her body was racked by sobs. Lorna moved further up the bed so she was alongside Piper and pulled the blonde into her body, Piper allowed herself to be manoeuvred and lay with her head on Lorna's chest as she let her emotions take over.

Nicky stayed where she was, watching the scene awkwardly.

"What did she say to you Piper?" Nicky asked calmly.

Lorna ran her fingers through Piper's hair soothingly as she shushed the blonde gently- telling her it was going to be OK. Piper took several minutes to compose herself enough to speak.

"She just told me to… g-go away" Piper sniffed. "All I w-want to d-d-do is help."

Lorna nodded before pulling Piper's head back towards her and hugging the blonde once more.

Nicky placed a reassuring hand on Piper's shoulder, "You've done nothing wrong kid, OK?"

….

Nicky had kissed both Lorna and Piper on the head before leaving, she had never seen a human being so broken and confused. It made Nicky angry to know that Alex had been the one to make Piper feel this way. Nicky was Alex's best friend she knew the feelings that Alex harboured towards the blonde. That's what made the situation all the more frustrating, Alex was pushing away the only girl she had ever truly let in.

When Nicky entered the house she didn't pause for pleasantries but instead head straight up to Alex's room. Alex was curled up on the bed in the exact same position she was in when Nicky had come to collect her for training all those hours ago. The room was still dark and seemingly unchanged- the only difference being that the sweet smell of Piper's perfume hung in the air. The smell only further ignited the fuel that Nicky had in her stomach.

"Hey?" Nicky said- louder than necessary.

The sudden volume caused the mass that was Alex to jump slightly on the bed before turning towards the source of the noise. When Alex saw it was Nicky she barely made eye contact before she went to turn away from her friend once more.

"No," Nicky said firmly grabbing Alex's shoulder so that they maintained eye contact. "You need to listen to what I'm about to say to you."

Alex remained silent but didn't resist Nicky's grasp.

"I get you're angry and upset Vause, trust me I get it. But can't you see what you're doing? You're way of dealing with it is to lock yourself away and it's going to ruin everything good in your life. By all means continue wallowing in your own self-pity but you're so close to losing the best thing that ever happened to you- and I'm not talking about the soccer."

Nicky released Alex's shoulder and made her way to the doorway of the room.

"Nick?" Alex asked quietly. "Is she OK? Piper?"

Nicky turned around, "I think you know the answer to that question Alex."

….

Piper had been drifting in and out of sleep all night. When she had finally managed to fall asleep she kept having a reoccurring nightmare. In the nightmare she would be walking down a road with Alex, hand in hand, when suddenly the ground would open revealing a black hole. Alex would slip and fall down the hole, scrambling for something to hold onto, but Piper could never seem to reach her. Piper woke up with a start each time, sweat clinging to her forehead.

When she awoke this time her room was light and she could hear the chatter of students outside. Piper gave herself a few moments to calm down before looking at her phone. She gasped at the fact it was gone noon already and scrolled through the never ending stream of notifications that occupied her lock screen. She went through the whole list top to bottom- scanning it for Alex's name. When she couldn't find it Piper reverted back to the top of the list where she could see she had a number of missed calls from Nicky.

Piper frowned and clicked the redial button- the first ring had barely played through when the phone was answered.

"Vause?" Nicky asked hopefully.

"Wh-what? No, Nick it's Piper"

"Hey Chapman, listen I need your help."

"Right?"

"It's Alex."

Piper sat up on the bed, her heart racing. Nicky's voice sounded small and scared on the other end of the phone. Piper's throat felt dry as she tried to speak. She would never forgive herself if something happened to Alex.

"Chapman? You still there?"

"Y-yeah, what's happened to Alex?"

"Well, I don't know where she is. I spoke to her last night and was pretty harsh, when I went to speak to her this morning she wasn't in her room and no-one has seen her all day. But I'm also a bit worried because we've just received a pretty official looking letter for her."

"Oh?"

"It's got the national emblem on the back so I'm guessing it's official confirmation…This is only going to make her worse, I would not want to be there when she receives it."

"So let me guess you want me to go and find her and give her the letter?"

"Well… yeah. I don't know where she is."

Piper contemplated telling Nicky where Alex was- it was obvious, where was the one place Alex always went when she was upset? But Piper remembered the pinky promise she had made all those months ago to Alex- to never tell another soul about her secret hideout.

Piper sighed, "Look Nick, I'll go and find her and take her the letter but I'm not going to be her verbal punch bag- it isn't fair."

"I know Chapman, I just want to know she's alright- she needs us."

….

Alex looked out across the pitch, she adjusted the hood on her head and looked down at her phone. She had no messages, Alex knew that Nicky was right- she was pushing everyone away. Alex felt guilty, but was too stubborn to do anything about it. She sighed and remembered the time she had spent on this spot with Piper, no matter what Alex did Piper was always there for her. Alex knew that she didn't deserve the blonde, she also knew that she'd overstepped the line last night and potentially ruined the relationship that she'd tried so hard to build. Alex placed her glasses on her head and rubbed her temples as she dialled the only number she knew by heart.

"Hello darling."

Alex felt a lump form in her throat at the sound of her mom's voice.

"Hi Mom."

"How are you doin'?" Diane's voice sounded normal but was edged with concern.

"I've been better."

"Oh babe… have you heard anything?"

Alex stayed silent.

"Keep an open mind babe, stay positive. It's not over until it's over, you don't know the outcome yet."

"That's what Piper keeps saying."

"I knew she was a smart girl." Diane laughed.

Alex paused before humming in agreement.

"You're very lucky to have found someone like her so young Al."

"I know mom." Alex knew what her mom was doing and it was working. Her mom knew what Alex was like and knew that she had probably taken out her frustrations on those closest to her. Diane was good at effortlessly making Alex want to correct the error of her ways.

"You just remember what I always say OK? Happiest is the route to success. You need to use your shortfalls to fuel your ambition."

"Yeah mom, I will. You know what I'm like I just need time to process things before I can move forward."

"I know you do sweetheart"

"I love you mom"

"I love you too and I'll see for Spring break yeah?"

"Yeah, can't wait." Alex smiled.

….

Piper collected the letter from Nicky and made her way to the stadium. Her head was a mixed mess of emotions. She was nervous to see Alex, nervous of what she would say to her. Piper was still frustrated at Alex but Nicky was right- Alex needed them. As Piper weaved through the stadium and approached the fire exit leading out to the small platform her stomach churned- she hadn't contemplated what would happen if Alex wasn't up here.

Piper made her way swiftly up the ladder with the letter in her mouth and froze when she reached the top. Relief rushed through her body as she saw Alex hunched over in her usual spot. Alex heard Piper sharply exhale and turned around, she smiled slightly at the blonde before looking straight ahead again. Piper made her way over to Alex and sat down beside her- making sure to leave a space between them.

"Hi" Alex said quietly.

"Hi" Piper replied.

Alex's stubborn exterior collapsed and she turned to face Piper. Her eyes weren't swollen or red like the night before and Piper could see something deeper than anger and upset in her eyes- it was remorse.

"Piper, I am so sorry for last night."

"It's OK."

"No it isn't, I should have never spoken to you like that."

Piper nodded.

"The things is Pipes I don't have a very good way of dealing with things. It's so difficult when you spend your whole life waiting for something to happen and then you get faced with it and it doesn't happen. My goal has always been to make the National team, when I got selected for trails I guess I got ahead of myself and just assumed I would get into the team. But anyway, none of that even matters anymore- I'm surrounded by people that care for me and I completely ignored that for the sake of a game. And I know now that that isn't fair on you or my mom or Nicky or anyone else close to me. I was a selfish dick."

For the first time Alex was being totally honest about her feelings to someone other than her mom and it felt good. She looked into Piper's blue eyes, she never wanted to see sadness or pain in them again. Alex's veins felt as though they hurt as she comprehended how much she cared for the person in front of her.

 _You need to protect this girl Vause. She's too special._

"I don't know if I'd go as far as calling you a dick," Piper replied. Alex laughed as she felt the first signs of normality between the pair in days.

"But I need to be honest with you too Alex. I don't know what this is between us, what I do know is how much I care about you. I can already tell that I am always going to care about you- but I can't be someone you take it out on when things go wrong."

"No and I know that Pipes- honestly. This whole thing is new to me, caring for someone in this way isn't really something I've done before. I screwed up but it won't happen again. I think Diane would kill me if I ruined this" Alex winked at Piper who laughed in response.

Alex reached out to hold Piper's hand and spotted the envelope for the first time. "What, you writing me love letters now?"

"Don't push your luck" Piper replied. She had completely forgotten about the letter, her heart swooped as she realised that its contents could change everything between them. "This letter arrived for you earlier but before I give this to you I need you to promise me something."

Alex nodded.

"I need you to promise me that this letter won't change anything between us, this isn't going to be easy road but you can't just drop me when things get tough." Piper looked vulnerably across at Alex who looked confused before holding her little finger out.

"I pinky promise" Alex replied as she locked her finger with Piper's.

Piper nodded slowly before handing Alex the letter. Alex scanned the front of envelope and flipped it around to open it. She spotted the national emblem on the back and rolled her eyes, placing it on the floor between the two girls.

"I don't want it" Alex said. "It'll only be confirming what I already know. I'd rather not see it in writing."

"You don't know it's bad news Al."

"You sound just like my mom" Alex laughed. "You open it then?"

"Al… no" Piper's eyes widened at the suggestion.

"Piper either you open it or I'll throw it in the bin and neither of us will know" Alex replied.

Piper sighed and picked the envelope back up. She flipped it over and ran her finger underneath the lip of the paper causing the envelope to break open. Piper gently unfolded the paper and scanned her eyes across the words. She folded the letter back up and placed it in the envelope once more. Piper held the letter out to Alex.

"Read it."

"I said I'm not reading it" Alex replied not breaking her gaze from the pitch beneath her.

"Alex Vause quit being so stubborn and read the fucking letter!"

Alex smirked at Piper, surprised by her sudden assertion of authority. She held out a hand to take the letter from the blonde next to her. Alex tipped the envelope upside down so the contents fell out onto the roof of the stadium. She picked up the letter and unfolded it. The piece of paper was official looking and had the national team emblem at the top of the page. Alex's heart was beating fast as she began to read the letter:

 _Dear Ms Alex Vause,_

 _Firstly, I want to thank you for attending the recent US training camp and for the hard work and dedication that you portrayed. Your natural talent together with your developing skill make you an excellent young player. Part of our aim here is to create a team of women who embody the spirit of the American people, a group of women who will fight and drive to the final whistle. Ultimately we wish to be the best team in the world, this plan cannot be achieved if we do not harbour and nurture our young talent._

 _After much deliberation within the wider team of coaches and whilst taking into account that you have already achieved personal success on the college soccer scene I am delighted to confirm that you have been granted a squad place on the US women's national soccer team. We believe that with the right training and guidance you can blossom into a fantastic national player and leader._

 _You must remember that when pursuing this journey you will never be irreplaceable- you must approach every training camp and game like you approached that last match during trials. If you continue to impress at this level there will be no limit to what you are capable off._

 _Over the next couple of days you will receive your kit and the spring/summer agenda for the national team. I look forward to working with you in the future._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Galina Rezniov_

"Shit" Alex whispered. She looked across at Piper and smiled at her in disbelief. Alex knew that this moment was the beginning of the rest of her life and was she was so glad that Piper was here to share it with her.

 **A/N- Hey guys, I honestly can't stop thinking of ideas for this story- I'm loving writing so much recently. Thank you so much for your never ending support- over 100 followers now! I can't thank you all enough, this story is my personal escape and it makes me so happy to write about these two. I'm so excited for the next chapter. As always please let me know what you think** **Love C- x**


	15. Chapter 15

The soccer team were sprawled on the grass outside of their house, the sun was shining and Poussey was blaring out music from a small portable speaker. The atmosphere around the group of girls had significantly improved due to the warmer temperatures and longer days- not to mention the fact that Alex had snapped back to her normal self. Nicky had brought a soccer ball outside and was running around skilfully, shouting encouragement to herself as she successfully dodged members of the team. She had a pair of sunglasses covering her eyes and her mane of hair was flying out behind her as she twisted and weaved around the girls. Alex lifted her head from the book she was reading and laughed at Nicky before sticking her foot out and taking the ball away from her friend.

"Foul play Vause" Nicky frowned as she retrieved the ball and gently kicked it against Alex's side. "What, you think you're all fancy now that you're on the national team?" Nicky teased, she smirked at Alex as she lay down next to her on the grass. Alex smiled and rolled onto her front, Nicky had repeatedly teased Alex about her supposed superiority multiple times since finding out that she had got onto the national team. Alex knew that Nicky's words were founded from humour and not jealousy, and so was sure to laugh along.

Nicky had been a model friend to Alex over the last few weeks especially since Alex was struggling to deal with the fact that she had almost ruined things between her and Piper. Nicky's advice had resonated with Alex, the wild haired girl had told her friend that she needed to show Piper how special she is- rather than just tell her.

Alex picked at the grass underneath her, "Hey, I need your help with something later," she said quietly to Nicky- making sure that none of the other girls heard her.

Nicky moved her glasses onto the top of her head and smirked at Alex, "What you planning Vause?" Alex had been unusually secretive over the past few days and Nicky was hopeful that Alex was planning some sort of elaborate apology for Piper- it was certainly long overdue.

Alex smiled at her friend- she was really fucking proud of her plan.

Alex was a realist, she wasn't naïve enough to believe that saying sorry made everything better. Diane had taken it upon herself to teach her daughter that lesson when she had started first grade. Diane had allowed Alex to take a dinner plate into the garden and throw it onto the floor. A young and confused Alex had obliged and dropped the plate- causing it to shatter into a hundred pieces. Diane had then asked the young girl to say sorry to the plate- Alex obeyed and became frustrated when nothing happened. Diane had explained to her daughter that when people say or do mean things they can break other's hearts and no matter how many times you say sorry you can never fix it- just like the plate. That lesson was something that Alex often thought back to. She knew that sorry wasn't enough to cure the hurt she'd caused Piper- sorry couldn't remove the haunting image of Piper's distraught face from Alex's mind. Alex knew what she had to do to show Piper how truly sorry she was, but she needed the help of her friends to do it.

"Ooo who ordered the stripper?" Poussey murmured, dragging Alex away from any thoughts of her plan. Alex struggled to hold in a laugh as she looked up to see what Poussey was referring to. A large man wearing a cap and a white vest that showed the majority of his lower stomach was approaching the girls. He had parked his blue van directly outside of the house and his forehead glistened with sweat as he strolled cautiously across the garden.

"Delivery for Vause" he called.

Alex stood up and ignored the sniggers of the girls behind her. The driver smiled at Alex as he passed her the clipboard that he was holding. She signed on the dotted line as the driver disappeared around the back of the van and re-emerged carrying two large boxes dangerously stacked on top of each other.

"You want these inside?" He panted, his back arching with the weight of the delivery.

"Yeah man, here let me help." Alex opened the front door and took one of the heavy boxes, placing it gently on the floor of the living room. The driver dropped the second box and removed his hat, wiping his brow with the back of hand.

"I got one more," he said as he trudged back outside.

"What you brought Vause?" Nicky asked as she fetched a cold bottle of water from the fridge and stood alongside Alex.

"I haven't ordered anything" Alex said confused as she watched the driver struggle to place the final box on the floor.

"Thanks dude, have a good day" Nicky said as she threw the bottle of water in the driver's direction. He caught the bottle and smiled at Nicky gratefully as he left the house.

Nicky wandered around the three boxes examining them carefully, she stooped down and ripped something off the side of one of the boxes and handed it to Alex. Alex took the envelope and ripped it open revealing a letter inside. The letter had the national emblem at the top of it causing Alex's heart to flip. Nicky approached Alex and hovered over her shoulder as she read the letter:

 _Ms Alex Vause,_

 _Congratulations once again on making the national team._

 _Please take some time to read the player handbook that I have enclosed with this letter. As I discussed you with during your time with us in Chicago we have an invitational tournament approaching this summer- during Spring Break I will be in touch to discuss with you whether I would like to include you in the tournament squad. Following on from the tournament, we will have another training camp which you will be invited to._

 _You will have received your kit with this letter, please remember that being on this team is a privilege that must not be taken for granted._

 _I look forward to speaking to you further over spring break._

 _Kind Regards,_

 _Galina Reznikov_

"Jesus, you're a slow reader- hurry up! I wanna' see what's inside" Nicky whined.

Alex folded the letter and placed it back inside of the envelope very slowly, winking at Nicky as she did so. Nicky frowned at Alex before disappearing into the kitchen and reappearing with a pair of scissors.

"Here" she said, handing Alex the scissors. Alex thanked her and opened the first box, she handed the scissors back to Nicky who opened the other boxes but respectfully didn't start searching through the contents.

Alex smiled kindly, "I'll look in this one and you can look in those?" she suggested.

Nicky beamed back at Alex before digging through the boxes, gasping and attempting to show Alex every item. Alex loved how excited her best friend was for her, she looked like a kid at Christmas. Alex started to sort through the items in her box, she pulled out a thick coat and a large gym bag both emblazed with the national emblem. Nicky pulled out an American flag and laid it across the couch, together they sorted through the boxes to find an array of navy and red kit.

"Shit Vause" Nicky exhaled, holding up a training top that had the initials 'AV' on the chest. "This is fucking awesome!"

Alex looked up and smiled at her friend. She took the shirt from Nicky and ran her fingers gently across her initials. This all felt so surreal, Alex had grown up idolising the women who wore these shirts and now she would be wearing one too- she shook her head in disbelief. Alex imagined running out into a stadium wearing this shirt, knowing that she was representing her country. She imagined scoring a goal and running towards the TV cameras to celebrate. She imagined looking up to the crowd and seeing Piper and her mom cheering for her. This was what she meant to do with her life- this was right.

"Yo, earth to Vause" Nicky shouted waving her hand in front of Alex's face.

Alex blinked, drawing herself out of her daydream.

"Great you're back… I said didn't you need my help with something?"

"Shit, yeah!" Alex replied, she placed the shirt back in a box and gave Nicky her full attention.

….

Piper had barely paid attention during her class, her hand was supporting her face as she doodled on the notepad in front of her. She cast her eye over the past hours' worth of artwork- a large 'A' dominated the page, surrounded by flowers and love hearts. Piper inwardly groaned at the sappiness of the drawing, she could hear what Nicky would say if she were to see it. Piper couldn't keep Alex off her mind, every moment she wasn't with her felt like a moment wasted- she was insatiable when it came to Alex. It was as though the blonde couldn't escape the intensity of her feelings.

"That's it for today folks, remember that I need your Corporate Strategies paper in for next week!" the professor shouted over the din of students who had simultaneously started to shuffle their papers and pack away their belongings.

Piper snapped out of her daze and shoved her notepad into her backpack, she stood up and joined the crowd of students who were filtering out of the lecture theatre and into the afternoon sun. She smiled as the warm air hit her skin, she adjusted her backpack so it sat comfortably on her shoulders and made her way across campus towards the library where Lorna was waiting for her. She stopped by the café on the ground floor of the ancient building and brought two lattes before making her way up the stairs towards the study area of the library.

Piper spotted Lorna sat in their usual spot in the corner of the library- her head was stuck in a book and her face was the picture of concentration. Piper approached quietly and placed the two coffee cups in the middle of the table causing Lorna to look up and sigh with relief.

"You are a saviour" Lorna smiled, accepting the latte from Piper. "I was just about to lose the plot."

Piper laughed as she sat down opposite her friend, "I'm glad I could be of service." She took her backpack off her shoulders and placed it on the floor- taking out her notepad. Piper blushed deeply as she quickly tore away the page that contained her doodles, she successfully managed to stuff the page into her bag without Lorna noticing.

"How are things going?" Piper asked, as she took the takeaway lid off her latte and blew softly to cool the liquid down.

"Good," Lorna nodded, placing a post-it on the book she was reading. "Just trying to get all this done before spring break." Piper took a sip of her coffee and grimaced as the liquid burnt her throat. Lorna laughed before her eyes widened.

"Oh my god I almost forgot to tell you!" Lorna squealed. "Nicky has invited us to her lake house over spring break! Her mom is going on holiday so we'll have the whole place to ourselves. There's a bunch of people going!" Lorna beamed as she delivered the news to her friend.

Piper mirrored the smile on Lorna's face, "Really?! That sounds amazing!" She pictured evenings full of drinking and laughing with her favourite people- she couldn't think of anything more perfect.

"Yay! I knew you'd be in!" Lorna cautiously took a sip of her coffee and placed it back on the table. "It's going to be amazing!"

"How are things with you and Nicky?" Piper asked as she flicked through her notepad revealing her notes for the paper she had to start writing.

"So good Piper," Lorna gushed. "It's just so amazing to have someone on your side, you know? Like I know that no matter what she's going to be there for me-" She smiled across the table at her friend before her face dropped. "Oh my god, I'm sorry. Was that really insensitive of me?"

"Noo" Piper laughed. "Not at all!"

"I guess you and Alex are pretty much together anyway, right?" Lorna asked innocently.

"Basically" Piper smiled. "Just not officially."

Lorna nodded.

"I'm glad you two are good though, I love seeing you happy."

"Aw, thanks Pipes. I can't wait for us to all be together over spring break!"

Piper smiled at Lorna, she had never done a 'traditional' spring break where she'd got ridiculously drunk and made regretful decisions. Piper's parents always used spring break as a chance to travel, Piper and Cal always preferred to stay home with Miss Claudette who let the pair of them roast marshmallows in the garden and stay up later than usual. If she was being honest, Piper had never felt as though she had friends that were worthy of her spending spring break with. That was different now of course, Piper felt excitement bubble in her stomach as she contemplated how great this year could be.

"I meant to ask you actually, have you spoken to Polly since your revelation?" Lorna asked nonchalantly, as she flicked the page of her book.

"Not really" Piper replied copying down a case study reference from her notes. "I mean, I see her in passing but she rarely makes eye contact. It's as though she's afraid that I'm going to do something _… gay._ " Piper laughed.

Lorna joined in with Piper's laughter, which was interrupted when the brunette's phone buzzed violently on the table. Piper instinctively looked up from her notepad and saw Alex's name on the screen. Lorna frowned and looked at Piper, obviously confused, as she picked the phone up and swiped to unlock it. Lorna studied the screen, her brows furrowed together in concentration.

"What does Al want?" Piper probed, noticing that her own phone had remained silent.

"Nicky's phone has died so she's just relaying a message" Lorna lied, she looked across at Piper's confused face- her heart beat increasing rapidly as she convinced herself that the blonde had seen through her lie. After what seemed like an eternity, Piper nodded and returned to her notes causing Lorna to let out a discreet sigh of relief.

….

"You remember the plan, yeah?" Alex asked Nicky as she paced around the living room anxiously looking between the clock on the wall and her phone.

"Jesus Alex, you're going to wear holes in the carpet" Nicky replied, she was lay across one of the sofas- lazily scrolling through her phone. Alex had ran through the plan about five times already- it would be impossible to not remember it.

Alex stopped pacing and stood to face Nicky. "I'm serious Nick."

Nicky sighed, "I got it Al, chill out. Everything's guna' be fine."

"I've told the others that if anything goes wrong they should ring me, OK?"

"Yep," Nicky replied, she placed her phone down and looked up at her friend. "You know I still haven't decided if this is really romantic or really fucking stupid."

"Fuck off" Alex retorted, although she couldn't stop a smile from creeping across her face.

….

"I don't actually know who else will be coming. Nick didn't really say but knowing her it will be half of Litchfield!" Lorna laughed.

The girls had talked about spring break plans the whole walk back from the library. Lorna was bad at keeping secrets- especially from Piper. She chattered nervously and made sure that there were no silences that Piper could fill with comments or questions about Alex. Her throat was dry from the constant talking and she felt like jumping for joy when she saw their dorm block looming in the distance- the plan was about to take shape.

Lorna held the door open for Piper, allowing her to enter first. Piper thanked her friend before heading towards her room. She had removed her backpack from her shoulders and was about to sling it onto her bed when she spotted a beautiful bouquet of red roses. Piper placed her bag on the floor instead and lifted the bunch of flowers. She brought them to her nose and groaned as the fresh aroma filled her nostrils. Piper had never been given roses before, she smiled and detached the white card that had been placed in the middle of the bouquet.

 _ **Beautiful roses for a beautiful person- Your Al x**_

Butterflies filled Piper's stomach as she read the message over and over again. She couldn't wipe the goofy grin off her face as she comprehended that Alex must have gone out of her way to not only buy the flowers for Piper, but also to place them here whilst Piper had been out- now Lorna's weird behaviour made sense. The amount of thought that had gone into such a simple gesture made Piper's heart swell with admiration. Almost on cue Lorna entered the room with a vase of water.

"Oh what beautiful roses" Lorna cooed, smiling smugly at her friend.

Piper shook her head, "You knew!" she laughed as she accepted the vase from Lorna and gently placed the bouquet of roses into the water.

"I've got a feeling the surprises are only just beginning." Piper raised her eyebrow at Lorna, visibly confused by the statement. Again, as though on cue Piper's phone vibrated in her pocket- she looked up at her friend who winked and sauntered out of the room.

Piper reached for her phone and unlocked it.

 **Alex: Hey gorgeous, I hope you enjoyed the flowers. You deserve them. Come round in 10? I have something planned for you… Xx**

Piper's mind raced with what Alex could have planned for her. She checked herself in the mirror before spraying her favourite perfume on her outfit and heading to the door.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" Lorna asked smugly as Piper passed her in the corridor.

"Like you need to ask" Piper laughed in response.

….

Piper approached the house and knocked on the door once before entering. The afternoon sun was still shining brightly but the air was slightly cooler now as evening crept in. There was music coming from within the house and it made Piper feel instantly relaxed. She closed the door behind her and heard a clatter in the kitchen followed by footsteps.

"Oh it's you, waddup' Blondie", Poussey had appeared from the kitchen carrying a tub of frozen yogurt.

"Hey P, is Al in her room?" Piper asked, she anticipated what the answer would be and started to make her way towards the stairs.

Poussey cocked her head at Piper in confusion before her eyes widened slightly as her brain whirred into gear.

"Yo Nichols, Piper's here!" Poussey yelled.

Piper heard rapid footsteps from the floor above as Nicky hurtled down the stairs. "Hey there Chapman" Nicky said, catching her breath and smiling at Piper cheekily. "Vause isn't here right now, but she asked me to give you this." Nicky handed across a small pink envelope.

Piper's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. Nicky jabbed the envelope towards Piper, urging her to take it. Piper obliged and opened it to reveal a white card- similar to the one that had been left with the flowers.

' _ **Hey Pipes- Lets play a game. Your first clue…**_

 _ **Is where I first laid eyes upon you- Al x'**_

Piper smiled as her heart lifted- she loved playing games like this.

Piper thought back to her first meeting with Alex, she remembered seeing Alex at the soccer match on her first every day at Litchfield. Piper remembered the confusion she had felt when her stomach had contracted upon seeing Alex's beautiful face on the big screen. She laughed as she remembered how she had attributed the butterflies in the pit of her stomach to the fact that she had skipped dinner. Piper read the card again- "where I first laid eyes upon you", Alex hadn't actually seen Piper that day so it couldn't be the stadium. The first time Alex would have seen Piper would have been at the coffee shop! Piper's eyes lit up as she solved the riddle, she looked up at Nicky who was beaming back at her.

"Good luck Chapman."

Piper turned around and left the house, heading back into the centre of campus towards the coffee shop. Excitement bubbled in her stomach as she contemplated what this game would lead to.

She entered the coffee shop and the bell above the door rung out in recognition. The shop was almost empty, except for a lone barista who was cleaning a coffee head attentively. Piper looked around the shop curiously, she had only been here a handful of times since meeting Alex. She smelt that same smell of strong coffee and fresh pastry, the smell kick started her brain into picturing the exact scene from that day. She remembered the way that Alex had stayed almost completely silent- something that she now knew was probably down to nerves. She remembered the way that Alex had demanded her attention even though she hadn't said a word- Piper's cheeks flushed red as she remembered the way that Alex had smirked at her when she'd caught the blonde checking her out- a smirk that now makes Piper's body tense with desire. Piper could visualise Alex's smile, a smile that had caused her stomach to drop and twist- a smile in hindsight that had first indicated to her that she was sexually attracted to a woman.

The barista was watching Piper carefully as she played out the memory in her head. When Piper looked up and caught the woman's eye she blushed and smiled awkwardly. The woman smiled back and pointed towards the table in the corner, the place where Alex had first laid eyes upon Piper. Piper thanked the woman and picked up the pink envelope that was resting against a stack of condiments in the middle of the table. Piper ripped open the envelope, revealing another white card.

' _ **Congrats on finding your first clue,**_

 _ **Your next one is where we once went to watch Boo- Al x'**_

Piper smiled, a nice easy clue! She thanked the barista for her help and strolled out of the coffee shop in the direction of the basketball stadium. Piper reminisced back to her first basketball game with Alex. She remembered walking this exact journey, she thought of how gentle and caring Alex had been towards her. It was the first time that Piper had been out publically with Alex and hadn't cared what people had thought about her. She played out that night in her head, the area between her legs throbbed as she remembered the frat party that the girls had gone to after the game- how Alex had led Piper into the back garden and kissed her passionately against the wall. She had known from that moment that Alex Vause was going to leave a lasting impression on her life.

Piper entered the arena and approached the court where the team were practising their defence. The air was filled with the squeaks of sneakers on the slick floor and the air smelt like a mix of sweat and deodorant. Piper watched on as Boo jumped up with her arms in the air to block a shot- sweat forcing her dark fringe to cling to her forehead. She landed from the jump and shouted in triumph before looking across and waving at Piper extravagantly.

"Chapman! Finally realised that I'd treat you better than Vause?" Boo smirked, as reached the edge of the court where Piper was now stood.

"Exactly" Piper laughed.

"Here" Boo said as she pulled back the elastic of her shorts and retrieved a pink envelope. Piper raised her eyebrow at Boo, struggling to keep the disgust from her face.

"Oh c'mon Chapman stop being such a prude! I thought you loved pussy?"

Piper smirked and took the envelope off Boo gingerly and opened it up.

' _ **Don't worry Pipes, we're nearly at the end…**_

 _ **Your next clue is with your best friend- Al x'**_

"Thanks Boo", Piper beamed.

"No worries, you enjoy your surprise."

Piper set off back towards the dorm, it was only when she was walking did she think about how much effort Alex must have put into this. The timing for one- knowing when she would be back from the library, knowing what time the basketball training was on and what time the coffee shop would close. A fresh set of butterflies set flight in Piper's stomach- she honestly did not deserve this girl. Piper had been so swept up in playing the game that she hadn't spent much time thinking about what the surprise could be- as long as Alex was waiting for her at the end of this game she'd be happy.

Lorna's door was ajar when Piper returned, she entered into the room where Lorna was sprawled on the bed with her laptop balanced on her chest. When Piper entered a huge shit eating grin span across Lorna's face.

"See, I can keep a secret!" she exclaimed as she jumped up and retrieved the envelope from her bedside table.

Piper shook her head at her friend as she accepted and opened the envelope, "I can't believe any of this."

' _ **Last clue!**_

 _ **Come and find me where I had my first kiss and date with you- Al x'**_

Lorna squealed in excitement and hugged her friend tightly, "You deserve everything bit of this, Piper."

Piper knew that the game would ultimately bring her to the stadium- it was slowly becoming their special place. It had dawned on Piper that Alex had taken her on an emotional journey. She had revisited all the places where the main milestones of their relationship had taken place. Without even being with her Alex had allowed Piper to remember back to the early days of their relationship and in turn appreciate how far they'd come. The last rays of the sun were disappearing now and the blue skies had been taken over by the orange and pink glow of a beautiful sunset.

 _Surely she didn't plan this as well._

Piper skirted around the stadium and ducked under the turnstiles, a route she'd taken so many times before when searched for her dark haired companion. Although the evening was still partially light the pitch was covered in darkness as the remaining sun struggling to fight its way past the overhanging stadium roof. Piper could tell that the pitch was covered, she knew that Bennett was anal about people walking any the pitch before match day so didn't think anything of it. Piper edged her way around the pitch and started to climb the steps of the stadium- walking past the area where she had first stood and watched Alex play. As she gazed across at the approximate location of where her and Polly had stood a flicker caught her eye- a flame. Piper had barely been paying attention to her surroundings but had realised now that her route was lined with candles, candles that filled Piper's nose with a rich vanilla essence. She sighed deeply, inhaling the breath-taking scent. Piper smiled as she followed the candles to the fire exit at the top of the stadium, she pushed the heavy door open and stepped out onto the open platform. There were ironically no candles on the fire platform, Piper shuddered as her hands made contact with the cool bars of the ladder as she hauled herself onto the roof. She was surprised to see that the roof was empty- Alex was nowhere to be seen.

Piper's path to the centre of the roof was lined by more candles and rose petals. Piper shook her head again, she just couldn't believe that someone cared enough about her to do this. The blonde made her way to the middle of the roof where the candles ended and rose petals created a circle, within the circle was a hand control with a red button on it. The control reminded her of a grenade and Piper glanced around nervously. As Piper picked the control up she noticed another white card placed underneath it; ' _ **Press Me'.**_

Piper's heart rate sky rocketed as she realised that this was what the whole evening had been leading up to. She decided it was time to be brave and her stomach flipped with excitement at what Alex had planned for her. Piper looked down onto the pitch- she noticed that the cover was no longer on and there were odd shapes on the grass that she couldn't work out. She squinted and strained her eyes to encrypt the objects on the floor before realising that the shapes on the pitch were probably something to do with the control in her hand. Piper closed her eyes, took a deep breath and pressed the red button with her thumb. As she pressed the button there was a buzzing noise and a brief flash of light. Piper opened her eyes warily. She looked out across the pitch which was now illuminated by hundreds of individual light bulbs- all formed to create message.

It took Piper a few moments to process the message in front of her. Her blue eyes ran from one end of the field to other multiple times. Her breath hitched in her throat and her heart was hammering hard against her rib cage.

 _ **Will you be my girlfriend?**_

Piper's eyes averted between the breath taking sunset and the message below as tears pooled in her eyes. She was reading the words but it was as though she didn't fully understand what they meant. It was as though Piper Chapman was incapable of believing that someone could actually want her.

"Is that a yes?" The smooth, sexy voice made Piper's stomach twinge, Alex's voice allowed Piper to finally comprehend that this was all real life. Piper spun around to see Alex stood at the top of the ladder, her eyes looked equally watery as she approached the blonde. Piper gulped, struggling to speak as the emotion of the evening hit her all at once. It didn't help matters that Alex looked amazing, Piper couldn't believe that someone of this beauty was even looking at her.

"Before you answer I need to explain." Alex said, she swallowed and looked at Piper. Piper could see the fear and vulnerability hidden behind the shining green exterior of Alex's eyes. "I can't promise that I'm going to be perfect, Piper. I'm probably going to fuck up, there might be times where I say things I don't mean and times where I forget things- like birthdays, I'm shit with fucking birthdays." Alex laughed nervously. "Anyway, what I can promise is that I'm going to try my hardest every single day to make you the happiest you can possibly be. Until I met you I thought I had it all figured out, yano? It was only when you came into my life that I realised the massive fucking hole that must have been there before. You make me happy Piper, like really fucking happy. So, I want… I guess… will you be my girlfriend?" Alex paused and ran her hand through her dark hair. "Eurgh, that sounded so lame, in my head it sounded much-"

Piper caught the rest of Alex's words with her mouth. Tears started to fall down her face as she poured all of her admiration and love for Alex into their kiss. Alex hands travelled to Piper's face and she kept them there are she responded to the kiss. Piper explored Alex's mouth, passionately caressing Alex's tongue with her own. She could feel Alex's lips curving into a smile and she kissed the blonde back.

"Is that a… yes…" Alex breathed between kisses.

"Yes" Piper whispered, pulling Alex closer again and crashing their lips together. "Yes, yes yes…"

….

 **A/N- Hi Everyone, I couldn't wait this chapter and I apologise if it was a bit flaky in the middle- it was one of those where I really wanted to get it published so it may have been slightly rushed. Please let me know what you think, as always thanks for all the love. Just a pre-warning, I have some crazy times coming up in the next couple of weeks so my updates may be a little slow. Don't worry though, I won't leave you waiting too long! Thanks, love to you all- C x**


	16. Chapter 16

"Freedom!"

Piper laughed at Lorna who was walking towards her with her hands lifted in the air. The short brunette was bouncing on the balls of her feet as she excitedly made her way across the busy campus quad. The university grounds were crawling with students who, like Piper and Lorna, had just handed in their end of semester assignments- meaning that for most it was finally, officially spring break.

"Feels good, right?" Piper beamed at her friend.

The pair had spent the majority of the last week locked away in the library, surrounded by empty coffee cups and open books. Piper's body had acclimatised to the lack of vitamin D and the increased amount of caffeine running through her veins on a daily basis. Surviving on a few hours of sleep a day was starting to catch up with the blonde, although the geek within of her had enjoyed the buzz of working all day and the sense of accomplishment that came after submitting a piece of work she was truly proud of. One thing that Piper had missed throughout the week was Alex, both her and Lorna had decided to block themselves from social interaction and had become social recluses over the past couple of days- only pausing their work to let Alex and Nicky know that they were still alive. The lack of contact had made Piper all the more excited to not only see Alex later that evening but to spend Spring Break with her and all of their friends.

"I'm so happy, and so ready to party!" Lorna exclaimed as she linked her arm with Piper's and pulled her friend closer. "I'm proud of us! I think we deserve some vodka."

"I agree, although I should really take it easy on the vodka front tonight. My mother is picking me up tomorrow, I have a perfect daughter reputation to uphold" Piper smirked.

"Urgh, sounds truly boring" Lorna winked at her friend as they continued to weave their way through the campus grounds.

"Tell me about it, can you imagine Carol's reaction if she knew that I'd actually spent the whole of my college career falling in love with my soccer playing, out of this world girlfriend?" Piper laughed.

"Ok so I'm going to ignore the fact that you just referred to Alex with the world 'love'", Lorna pushed her friend playfully on the shoulder.

"Shit, speaking of Alex- we should probably message the girls before Bennett goes all sergeant major and confiscates their phones again!"

Lorna mumbled in agreement as she removed her arm from Piper's so she could retrieve her phone. The soccer girls had their semi-final that evening, the biggest game of the season so far, coincidentally organised on the day that every student in Litchfield was up for a party- no pressure. Piper knew that Alex felt the pressure more than the rest of the team, she took every Litchfield result personally- especially the results in this competition. Piper had heard from Alex herself and the rest of the team how badly she had taken the result the previous year- the Sylvie story was proof of that. Piper's heart sunk slightly at the thought of Alex having to go through something like that again. Piper had faith in her though, Alex was the best soccer player that Piper knew- if that counted for anything. Piper laughed at her own thoughts before tapping out a message to Alex.

 **Piper: Good luck tonight gorgeous, super excited to see you later x**

Lorna chuckled at her phone as Piper slid hers back in her pocket. The blonde glanced over at her friend and shook her head.

"I'm not even going to ask," she laughed.

Lorna snorted slightly as she hid her phone from sight, "I wouldn't if I were you."

The girls continued onto their dorm where a party already seemed to be underway- despite the fact it was only early afternoon. Loud music was playing from a Bluetooth speaker that was set up in the hallway and all of the doors were open. As the girls shut the door behind them Brooke appeared in the corridor with half of her hair in rollers. She was wearing a pair of denim shorts and an orange crop top that showed a hint of her tanned stomach.

"You're back!" she shouted, slurring her obvious statement slightly.

Lorna laughed as Brooke stumbled out of her doorway. "Jesus, you're smashed and you still manage to do your eye liner better than me- you bitch!"

"Only because I've heard that there are still some members of the soccer team that haven't been snapped up" she smirked.

Piper laughed, whilst Lorna looked at Brooke quizzically- the obvious question lining her lips.

"Hey what can I say, I like people- not genders," Brooke shrugged and smiled innocently.

The news that Alex and Piper were officially an item was still finding its way across campus although the pair were no longer keeping their affection for one another a secret. Piper felt as though she was finally content with herself, she felt as though she had found the place where she belonged. She was still faced with the hurdle of telling her parents but that was a problem for another day- today was about celebrating another semester being over and cheering on her girl.

"Now get changed, it's time to get in the party mood!" Brooke cheered as she disappeared back into her room, singing along loudly to the song that had started to blare from the speaker.

"Have you ever felt more sober?" Lorna asked jokily, raising her voice to shout over Brooke's loud singing.

Piper chuckled to herself as she set about sprucing herself up in her room. She applied a generous amount of make up on her face to hide all of the signs of her stressful week. Piper flicked through the array of Litchfield merchandise she had collected over the year so far and settled on a long sleeved black top with Litchfield emblazed across the front in orange writing. As the blonde was pulling on a pair of black shorts her pile of clothes vibrated on the bed, she dug through them to reveal her phone and sighed happily as she saw Alex's name.

 **Alex: Thanks baby, congrats on handing the assignment in. I can't wait to see you. X**

Piper smiled at her phone, she was sure that she'd smiled more in the past few months than she'd ever smiled in her life. It was impossible to describe how Alex made her feel, she was beyond excited to be able to spend time with her over spring break.

"Piper, can you help me with this please?" Lorna had entered the room and was holding a palette of face paint. She smirked as she saw the look on Piper's face, her friend had been on a high since Alex had asked her out. Lorna had found it endearing when Alex had asked her for advice on how to ask Piper to be her girlfriend, she had seemed so vulnerable- so unlike Alex Vause. That was the first time that Lorna knew, truly knew that Alex was in love with Piper- despite her refusal to admit it.

Piper finished tying her hair up and spun around to smile at her friend.

"Sure", she took the palette off Lorna and looked down at the blocks of orange, black and white paint. She ran her fingers along the black paint and marked Lorna's cheek bones in tribal style stripes. Lorna took the palette back and reciprocated the action on Piper. They laughed in the mirror and took an obligatory pre game selfie.

"Right, let's get a drink. I feel more nervous than the girls probably do!" Lorna smiled.

"Thank god, I thought I was the only one," Piper laughed as she checked herself in the mirror one last time.

"Who would have thought college would have turned us into soccer loving…"

"Lesbians, you ready to partyyyy!" Brooke burst into the room with a bottle of tequila, the girls erupted in laughter at her perfect timing and followed her out of the room.

The girls sat down with their backs against the wall of the corridor, Piper placed her phone on the floor and discreetly checked the time as she did so- 1:40pm, just over an hour until kick off. Lorna caught Piper's eye and smiled reassuringly- the brunette knew what Piper was thinking. She was sure that the girls would be fine, they'd had a near perfect season but had piled pressure on themselves for this game.

"Brooke, I actually meant to ask you- how come you don't cheerlead at the games anymore?" Lorna asked inquisitively as she took a sip of the concoction in her cup.

"Urgh, I quit. They weren't a nice group of girls… I don't want to be associated with that. I mean, Polly is alright… but some of the other girls are… just mean. I should apologise really, for just kind of abandoning you guys this semester… that wasn't cool. I guess I got sucked into Polly's side of what happened," Brooke said as she directed the last part of her statement at Piper.

Piper shook her head and smiled at Brooke; "Don't be silly, there were no sides to take."

….

 **Diane: Have a great game babe.**

Alex smiled at her phone and had just finished tapping out her reply when Bennett entered the changing room.

"Right ladies, time to focus- all phones in please!" he yelled as he placed a yellow bucket on the floor in the centre of the changing room. One by one the girls left their seats and placed their phones in the bucket, when he was sure that every phone was safe he placed a lid on the bucket and carried it out of the room.

The team had just finished up their pre-match warmup- the stadium was empty but for the volunteer security staff that had started to line the pitch. Bennett had demanded that no one be allowed into the stands until his team had finished up their warm up- it allowed the girls to focus in on the task at hand without getting distracted. The vibe amongst the team was positive although Alex had to work hard on her mind to ensure that it remained that way. She'd done a lot of work over the past couple of days enforcing a positive mind-set, she wasn't going to let any psychological blocks get in the way of the team's success today.

Alex pulled her training shirt over her head and replaced it with her orange match shirt. Watson was already dressed for the match and was frantically doing push ups in the centre of the changing room- a tell-tale sign that she felt the nerves.

"Save some energy for the match, Watson," Nicky grinned. She picked up the captains band from Alex's pile of clothing and used both hands to stretch the band wide enough so that Alex could slide her arm through the hole.

"Thanks Nick, she's right Watson- let's relax OK?" Alex said calmly.

Janae stood up from the floor and sat back down in her space. "Can we at least put some music on or something, the silence in here is sending me loopy!"

"Sure," Alex said, standing up and making sure that the iPod in the docking station was correctly set up. "In fact, I made a motivational playlist that I want you all to listen to. Now you might think this is cheesy…"

"Jesus Vause, first you get a girlfriend and now you make _playlists"_ Poussey teased, the rest of the girls relaxed instantly at a sign of humour and laughed at her remark.

After a few seconds Alex joined in, "Ok, Ok, laugh all you want- but seriously when you listen to any of these songs just close your eyes and picture what you want to achieve on the pitch today." She bent down slightly as she scrolled through the songs, sighing triumphantly as she found the one she'd been looking for. As the introduction started she switched the volume to maximum to block out the sounds of the crowd beginning to filter into the stands above them.

 _I am a mountain, I am a tall tree, I am a swift wind sweeping the country_

Alex took a seat and closed her eyes as the words enveloped her. She breathed in every word, every syllable, the music making her heart beat with excitement to get onto the pitch and show the world what she could do. Adrenaline surged through Alex's body as her foot tapped along with the music, she had blocked out everything else in the world in that moment- all that mattered was the people in that room with her and the greatness they were going to achieve in the next few hours.

 _Yeah I made it, I'm the world's greatest._

As the song faded to a close, Alex heard the girls jump up- their studs scraping the concrete of the changing room floor. Watson cheered and Nicky smacked Alex had the back bringing her out of her trance and causing her to open her eyes.

….

Piper, Lorna and Brooke walked the short distance from their dorm to the soccer stadium- they had got distracted with a game of ring of fire and so were amongst some of the last students to enter the venue. Piper glanced up to the roof of the stadium and chuckled to herself, if only Lorna and Brooke knew of the moments that she had cherished on that very roof.

Lorna led the way through the turnstiles, elegantly twisting through the bars to avoid getting caught- something Brooke still hadn't got the hang of yet, much to Piper's amusement. The girls steadied Brooke and guided her along the concrete walkway of the stadium that led to the pitch and main stands. As they emerged into the warm air again the full volume of the stadium hit them, the familiar drums of the University band were playing and students were chanting loudly. Piper put her arm out to stop the girls as she surveyed the area for seats for them all.

"Blondie!"

Piper turned and grinned at Boo who was carrying two plastic cups. She was wearing khaki cargo shorts and a large white Litchfield t-shirt.

"I hear congratulations are in order?" Boo said as she winked at Piper. "I still can't believe I played a part in one of Litchfield's greatest love stories."

"How will I ever repay the favour?" Piper teased back.

"Oh I could think of a few ways," Boo smirked at Piper before winking at Lorna. "I'm sure I could share the love just for you Morello."

"And I was starting to feel left out," Lorna laughed.

Brooke swayed awkwardly as she watched the exchange between the three girls. Piper spotted her uncomfortable expression and felt a sudden pang of pity for her; "Boo, this is Brooke- she stays in the same dorm as us."

Boo turned her attention to Brooke, as though only just seeing her for the first time. She blatantly scanned Brooke from head to toe and nodded in approval, "Fresh meat, eh?"

Brooke looked worried before Boo broke apart with laughter, "Only joking kid, nice to meet you. Now, fancy joining us down the front? Our boy Sammy has hooked us up with some great seats again."

The girls agreed to join Boo who was watching the game with her friend Tiffany, a petite girl from Virginia. Their seats were three rows back from the edge of the pitch and were located just to the side of one of the goals. Piper loved watching Alex play, that being said the more she grew to like Alex the more difficult it became to watch her play- it felt like there was more at stake for Alex with every match.

At five minutes to three the band stopped playing causing the chanting to subside. The stadium became filled with an abrupt silence until the announcer welcomed the teams onto the pitch. Piper's heart swelled with pride as she saw Alex leading out the team, she looked focused- a look that was mirrored by the rest of the Litchfield players. The teams politely shook hands before setting up on the pitch ready to play. Piper watched as Alex placed her hands on her hips and tilted her head back to the sky- a ritual she'd observed Alex do at every match. As the referee blew the whistle for the match to start Lorna clutched Piper's hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

Litchfield were playing a team called Cromwell who were physically larger than most of the Litchfield girls, the first half mainly consisted of the orange players being pushed around the field- much to the disliking of Bennett who could be heard shouting abuse at the referee from the touch line. It was obvious that Litchfield's game plan didn't take into account the size and physicality of the Cromwell team- something that both surprised and frustrated Piper. The Litchfield girls were taking a while to get a feel of the game and had hardly had an attack on the opposition goal when the whistle for the end of the half rang out.

Upon the sound of the whistle Piper sat down in her seat, exhausted from the constant worry that Alex would have her legs broken by one of the larger girls.

"Someone's going to snap in the second half man, mark my words" Boo pointed out, slumping into a chair next to Piper.

"Too right," Tiffany replied. "Ain't no way they're gunna' get pushed around for another half and not do anything in return."

….

"Fucking arseholes," Poussey muttered as the physio squirted water into a deep cut on her shin that had been caused by one of the opposition kicking her. "We need to do something Bennett, they're battering us out there."

"Yeah Bennett, I think they got their fixtures confused and sent out their fucking mixed martial arts team," Watson added, rubbing her slightly swollen knee.

Bennett removed his cap and scratched his head. "I agree girls, they don't know how to beat us so they've decided to literally beat us- it's a weak tactic but it's working. We haven't been able to execute any of our game plan. I'm going to have a word with the ref before the second half begins and tell him to look out for the violence, if that doesn't work then you're just going to have to adapt out there." Bennett placed his cap back on his head and left the changing rooms.

"Well… that was a fucking diabolical explanation of how we should win the match" Nicky muttered.

The morale in the dressing room was significantly lower than when the girls had left it for the first half. Alex could feel that any hopes of reaching the final for a second year in a row were slowly fading. She was disappointed that Bennett hadn't given them a better game plan for the second half, they needed to think of a solution and fast. Alex stood up and clapped her hands, demanding attention from the whole team.

"Right, listen in! These girls are shit players, agreed? Their large and aggressive but they're shit." The girls nodded in agreement. "So, they seem to be pushing into the back of us, kicking us when we have the ball and holding onto us as we run in behind. So I want us to be patient, when we get the ball no matter where we are on the pitch we need to pass it around- no rushing for long balls into the box we need to play the long game. If nobody can get free in front we move backwards- when they start to tire and they will tire, we pounce OK?"

The girls nodded in agreement, their spirits seemingly lifted slightly. "One more thing, we don't stoop to their level- they want us to flip out and get sent off and we're not going to do that, understood?"

As the team filed out of the changing room Nicky pulled Alex aside. "You really think this will work Vause?"

Alex nodded confidently, "We need to lead by example, don't forget there will be scouts here plus… our girls are watching," she winked.

The girls implemented Alex's plan in the second half, they patiently passed the ball between them- visibly frustrating the other team. The Litchfield crowd cheered every time that the ball found a player dressed in orange. Alex hated playing this way, she disliked having to stay on the back foot but knew that it was needed in order for the girls to win. The Cromwell team were starting to tire just as Alex had predicted and were starting to give the Litchfield team more room to pass the ball around. As the ball trundled out for a corner kick Alex put her fingers to her lips and whistled for the girls to gather round.

"Change in game plan," Alex panted. "We need to attack them now, Nick- I want you to take on as many players on as you can… we only have… 10 minutes left- time to use our pace and skill."

Nicky pumped the air with her fist, "Yes, time to actually player some soccer girls!"

….

Piper didn't know what Alex had said to the girls, but whatever it was had worked- they were like a completely different team. After a patient, almost boring, game the crowd were suddenly invested again and had begun to cheer loudly. Nicky picked up the ball on the half way line and weaved in and out of defenders, she dodged a hefty looking tackle and passed the ball to Alex who continued the run into the box. Piper jumped up and down as Alex rode another tackle and looked up, squaring the ball to Nicky who slotted the ball calmly into the back of the net. The crowd erupted and Boo threw her drink in the air as she ran down to the edge of the pitch to celebrate. Nicky ran towards Boo and jumped into her arms, closely followed by the rest of the team. Piper and Lorna hugged in relief as the announcer shouted Nicky's name and the score over the sound system.

"She'll be so happy!" Lorna shouted.

Piper nodded and watched adoringly as Alex pulled Nicky into a hug and ruffled her hair affectionately.

.….

"Did you see my goal?" Nicky shouted as she ran towards the stand where Lorna was stood. The small brunette was bouncing up and down excitedly and held her arms out to Nicky as she approached.

The stadium was empty now but for Lorna, Piper, Brooke, Boo and Tiffany who had stayed behind. Alex and Nicky had encouraged the team to change quickly so they could all leave the stadium together, after a week of sporadic contact they were excited to finally be reunited with their girlfriends.

As the team followed Nicky across the pitch Alex sped ahead and walked towards Piper who was beaming in her direction- her head was cocked to one side cutely and her face was a mixture of pride and admiration.

"Is seeing me all sweaty doing it for ya' babe?" Alex smirked.

"More than you'll ever know."

Alex kissed Piper on the cheek and pulled her into a tight hug, she happily lent back so that Piper's feet left the floor. The blonde squealed before smiling into Alex's hair.

"I'm so proud of you Al," she whispered as Alex swayed her side to side.

Alex lowered Piper so that her feet were in contact with the ground and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. Her stomach still swooped with butterflies every time they made contact, Alex wondered how long her body would continue to react in that way- she hoped it would never stop. She kept one hand on Piper's waist and turned to face the rest of the group.

Boo was standing with her hands on her hips, a smug look on her face. "I come all the way out here to watch you and you don't even say hi? I thought what we had was worth more than that, Vause?"

Alex laughed and let go of Piper to give Boo a hug, "Congrats, man" the large girl whispered in her friend's ear. As they withdrew from their hug Boo pointed to her petite friend who was stood a few feet away from Alex as though scared to be in her presence- "You remember Tiffany?"

"Sure, Doggett right?" Alex smiled at Tiffany, whose face softened as she nodded.

"And it's Brooke isn't it? The cheerleader? I think we met at the coffee shop at the start of the year?" Alex said turning her attention to Brooke who was observing the pleasantries. She had sobered dramatically since the start of the match and nodded timidly in response. Alex smiled reassuringly and introduced Brooke to the rest of the team. Piper's heart swelled with more admiration for Alex- she clasped onto Alex's arm not wanting to be apart from her again.

"As much as I'm enjoying making friends and all, who's up for pizza back at our place?" Nicky asked, her lips were slightly swollen from the kissing and she'd managed to get most of Lorna's face paint on her chin.

"Sure thing," Poussey said. "Although you might want to wash your face first bro."

The group erupted into laughter as Nicky squirmed, trying desperately to avoid Lorna who had licked her thumb and was trying to scrub the paint off Nicky's chin. Alex smiled down at Piper whose face was screwed up with laughter, Alex loved the way her nose crinkled when she laughed. She placed her hand on top of Piper's and intertwined their finger's stroking Piper's index finger with her thumb as she did so. Piper broke her eyes away from the crowd and looked up at her girlfriend- she had never been so happy.

….

"So Nicholls, what's the plan for next week?" Poussey asked as she stuffed another slice of pizza into her mouth.

"Well, Lorna and I are going there tomorrow- you guys are welcome to join us whenever you want. Although it would be nice to have a couple of days on our own before you all arrive to spoil our party" Nicky smirked as she winked at her girlfriend. The group collectively decided that they would leave the girls alone for the weekend before joining them at the Lakehouse at the start of the week.

"I don't know about you guys but I just can't stop thinking about the game. I can't wait to _smash_ those Bartford bitches!" Watson cheered.

"Oh shit, you guys drew Bartford? No fucking way!" Boo responded, laughing loudly.

Alex sighed deeply, her heart rate increased rapidly as she prepared herself for what was to come next.

"Vause, didn't you fuck someone from that team?"

That was it, the blow that Alex had been waiting for. The group went silent and glanced awkwardly at one another. Alex smiled sarcastically at Boo and tried to play it cool- it was evitable that Sylvie was going to get brought up again, Alex was just glad that she'd told Piper in advance. Boo looked around the room in a panic, realising that she'd said something she shouldn't have. Nicky's eyes widened Alex glanced across at Piper to check her reaction, the blonde made eye contact and smiled back at her girlfriend.

"Why have a burger when you have steak at home, right?" Piper shrugged innocently.

After a few more seconds of awkward silence, the group erupted into loud laughter.

"You've got a keeper there, Vause!" Nicky laughed, leaning across to high five Piper. Piper joined in with the laughter and slapped her hand against Nicky's.

Piper glanced across at her girlfriend who was looking at her with eyes full of admiration. Alex placed her hand on Piper's thigh, noticing immediately the effect she was having on the blonde's body- goose bumps begun to rise on her skin and she shivered slightly at Alex's touch. Piper's heart was beating in anticipation as she held Alex's gaze, watching intently as her emerald eyes turned from full of admiration to full of lust and desire. The blonde felt as though every nerve in her body was on high alert as she anticipated what Alex's next move would be. Alex continued to gently stroke Piper's bare thigh with the tips of her fingers, she traced them slightly higher up Piper's leg and let her hand rest there for a while. Piper could feel her breathing quickening, all she wanted was to have Alex to herself- she tried to occupy herself with the group's conversation but the placement of Alex's hand was causing her insides to burn with desire.

"Jesus Vause, take her upstairs before she combusts" Nicky whispered. Alex raised her eyebrow at her friend before looking back at Piper, it was blatantly obvious that the blonde was not paying attention to what was happening around her. Her lip was sexily caught between her teeth and her pupils were dilated making her eyes appear dark. Alex groaned inwardly at the site of her.

Nicky shook her head and laughed before standing up. "Sorry to be a party pooper guys but we have a long journey tomorrow," she said as she hyperbolically yawned and stretched out.

"Yeah I should probably get going," Brooke said as she joined Nicky standing up. "Thanks for having me."

"Here, let me walk you home?" Poussey chirped, jumping up enthusiastically. Boo wolf whistled at the pair as she too stood up and said her goodbyes, Poussey jabbed her in the ribs jovially before opening the door and heading out into the night with Brooke.

"Ready to go upstairs, Pipes?" Alex asked the blonde next to her, who was still zoned out.

"Wh… what? Upstairs?" Piper stammered, releasing her lips from between her teeth and looking up innocently at Alex.

Alex laughed and held her hand out for to the blonde, who accepted and allowed herself to be led up the stairs. Alex loved watching how Piper was battling with her instincts, she had never seen her girlfriend so turned on before- what was more satisfying was how little Alex had had to do to illicit the reaction. Alex shut the bedroom door behind them and watched as Piper paused in the middle of the room before suddenly turning to Alex.

"Mind if I take a shower?" she asked.

"Umm.. y…yeah, sure", Alex was surprised that Piper would want to shower after finally getting her alone but she fetched the blonde a fresh towel regardless. Piper thanked her girlfriend and kissed her softly on the cheek before heading into Alex's bathroom. Alex sat on the edge of her bed, unsure what to do with herself, when she looked up and realised that Piper had left the door of the ensuite slightly open. Alex could hear the water running, her imagination stared to whir into action as she pictured the blonde naked and wet only a few feet away. Alex shook her head.

 _Have some dignity, Vause_

Alex thought back to the look on Piper's face downstairs, the way that her teeth had captured her lip. She imagined doing the very same thing to those lips, being able to see up close the effect that it would have on Piper.

 _Fuck it_

Alex stood up from the bed and made her way towards the bathroom, she pushed open the door slowly- feeling the heat and the moisture from the shower hit her. Piper was already inside of the shower and was facing the door when Alex entered.

"What took you so long?" Piper trawled as she raised her eyebrow sexily.

 _Right decision, Vause._

Alex maintained eye contact with the blonde through the glass door as she slowly peeled off her layers of clothing. Piper was watching intently, following Alex's every move eagerly. When Alex unfastened her bra and let it fall to the floor Piper stared at her chest, her blue eyes darkening once more. Alex slid open the glass door of the shower and took a step inside, the shower wasn't huge however it could comfortably fit both of the girls inside.

Within a millisecond on being within touching distance of one another Alex had grabbed Piper's face and led her body back towards the cold tiles. Piper's gasp was swallowed by Alex who was passionately exploring Piper's mouth with her own. The warm water was spraying directly onto Alex's head, causing her dark hair to cling to the side of her face and her neck. Alex moved her hands from Piper's face down to the rest of her body, it was obvious that Piper had already used soap as her skin was soft and slippery. Alex continued to kiss Piper as she ran her fingers down the side of her body, stopping to rest on her waist. Piper groaned and writhed against the wall, her impatience becoming obvious. Alex decided to take control and pinned Piper's arms above her head, the blonde moaned out loudly once again- Alex let Piper call out as she attacked her neck with her mouth, sucking and gently biting the soft skin.

"I feel… uhhh… like I've waited so long for this" Piper whimpered into Alex's ear.

"I hope I can make it worth the wait" Alex whispered back, gently nibbling Piper's ear causing the blonde to buck her hips into her girlfriend. Alex took a tiny step back and admired the sight in front of her, Piper's arms were still held above her head and her long hair was dripping with warm water that was still spraying down between the pair.

Alex released Piper's arms and placed her hands back on Piper's face as she crashed their lips together once more. Piper's hands automatically found their way to Alex's hair, drawing her further into the kiss. Alex could feel Piper's hips desperately trying to find some sort of friction, she lifted her right leg up slightly- giving Piper the friction she needed. The blonde tilted her head back against the tiles and arched her back as she rubbed herself against Alex's leg. Alex couldn't contain herself anymore, she removed her thigh from Piper's centre and replaced it with her hand. Alex watched as Piper's mouth fell open as her clit was circled by Alex's fingers. Piper was desperately searching for something to grab onto as Alex rhythmically rubbed her centre. Piper settled for holding onto Alex's back as the dark haired girl continued to bring her closer to the edge. Alex ran her fingers through Piper's folds, just about making out that the wetness in that area was largely due to something other than shower water. As Piper lent back from the sensation Alex thrust two fingers inside of her, causing Piper to scream out loudly. She continued the routine on Piper's centre until she could feel her walls trembling around her fingers. Piper pushed her body closer to Alex, as though trying to prolong her imminent orgasm, Alex could tell that she was trying to hold it off for as long as possible. As Alex started to kiss her neck again Piper toppled over the edge shouting out variations of Alex's name.

Alex held her under the spray of the warm water as her body recovered from its high. Piper let her body weight be held by her girlfriend until she felt strong enough to stand alone.

"That was definitely worth the wait," Piper whispered sleepily.

Alex smiled at her girlfriend and kissed her softly on the lips. She switched the water off and opened the shower door, leaning out for Piper's towel and wrapping her in it. Piper's eyes were drooping and she looked completely spent, so much so that she allowed herself to be dressed by Alex who tucked her into bed and lay a loving kiss to her forehead before getting herself dry and ready for bed. When Alex climbed under the duvet Piper rolled over and draped her arm across Alex's stomach, she instinctively placed her arm around the blonde before smiling softly and drifting into a deep sleep.

 **A/N: Hey everyone, I've been very busy these past couple of weeks so apologies for the silence- I actually got a promotion at work which has been keeping me very busy! My original plan was to post the next 2/3 chapters as one but I felt it would be too much, this chapter will lead onto some Chapman home time and then Spring break! Really excited to write that chapter. Please let me know what you think, this is sort of a filler chapter so it may be a bit dull- hopefully when the others come up the purpose of this one will be understood. C x**


	17. Chapter 17

Piper's eyes fluttered open, she pulled the thick duvet further around her as she looked out to Alex's room which was slowly filling with the orange glow of a new day. Alex's arm lay draped across the exposed skin of Piper's midriff. Piper could feel Alex's warm breath tickling the back of her neck, she smiled at the reminder of how close she was to her girlfriend. She slowly turned around to face the dark haired girl, Alex's eyes were closed and her lips were partially open as she slept. There was something so sweet and endearing about Alex being asleep, being completely vulnerable and unprotected with just Piper to witness it. Piper gently traced her finger along Alex's cheek bone to her hair line where she caught a strand of dark hair and spun it loosely around her finger.

"You're so perfect," she whispered softly against Alex's lips.

The whisper was so quiet it was barely audible but Alex's body seemed to react to it. She made a small groan and moved towards Piper, resting her head sweetly in the nape of the blonde's neck. Piper moved her hand further into Alex's hair and lightly massaged her scalp with the tips of her fingers.

"Have I told you that you're good with your fingers?" Alex pecked Piper softly on the neck before turning to the bedside table and picking up her glasses. She placed them on her face and turned around to face her girlfriend once more.

"Spring break, baby," she beamed as she kissed Piper on the lips.

"I'm so excited", Piper whispered back, she had kept her face close to Alex's after the kiss so their lips brushed as she spoke. Alex kissed Piper once more, holding the side of her face as she connected their lips.

"I need to get up" Piper murmured as she pulled herself away.

"No… you don't" Alex replied as she continued to kiss Piper.

"Al, Carol will… come looking for me if not", Piper gasped as she fought to drag her lips apart from Alex's.

"Ok, Ok", Alex kissed Piper one last time before pulling away from the blonde. Piper laughed as Alex stuck her bottom lip out, evidently disappointed that she had to stop kissing her girlfriend.

"One weekend," Piper murmured, not breaking her gaze from Alex's lips. One weekend was all she had to get through, one weekend without Alex and then a whole week together- she could do that.

"Oh fuck it, Carol can wait," Piper sighed as she pulled Alex's face closer and crashed their lips together once more.

….

"Morning Vause," Nicky mumbled as she trudged into the kitchen.

Alex looked up from the pile of laundry she was currently sorting through. Nicky's hair was even more wild than usual and her eyes were still partially closed.

"Afternoon" she laughed.

Nicky grunted in response as she took a seat on one of the kitchen stools. She placed the hood of her jacket over her head and looked around the room. "Piper not here?"

"Nope, she left about an hour ago."

"Ah… Well it sounded like you guys had fun last night."

Alex paused and looked up at Nicky who had her elbow propped on the counter and was smiling smugly back at her friend. Alex swallowed and shook her head slightly as she resumed folding garments of clothing.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Mhmm…" Nicky laughed. "Whatever man, at least you look clean."

Alex tried hard to maintain her composure but couldn't stop a smile creeping across her face.

….

Piper had successfully managed to manoeuvre her parent's fleeting visit to the university and with only a few negative comments from her mother. Carol had critically assessed most aspects of Piper's room and had reminded her daughter that she was more than happy to pay for a cleaner. Piper had politely declined the offer and ushered her mother out of the dorm as quickly as possible.

"You know the offer still stands darling, you can still come to Cannes with us. The Jones' have invited us to join them at their villa" Carol offered as she applied more lipstick using a small portable mirror.

"You have plans don't you sweetie?" Bill asked from the driver's seat of the car.

Piper nodded. "It's OK mom, thanks for the invite- it sounds great but I've been invited to spend the week at my friend's lake house."

Piper smiled as Bill met her eye in the rear view mirror and winked at her. Piper patiently answered the barrage of questions that followed from her mother about the 'type' of people she would be spending the week with. By the end of the conversation Carol seemed comfortable with the fact that Piper would be spending time with responsible college students… so Piper may have stretched the truth slightly but she couldn't allow her mother's worrying to ruin her first, real spring break!

"As long as you are around for tomorrow evening, that's all that matters."

Piper met her father's eyes once more and raised her eyebrow. Carol noted Piper's silence instantly and spun round to look at her daughter.

"Piper Elizabeth! Please tell me you haven't forgotten about your brother's engagement party?"

"O…Of course not" Piper stuttered. Again, stretching the truth. Piper had forgotten. Her older brother Danny had proposed to his long term girlfriend Britt 8 months previously. In true Carol fashion the pair had been 'advised' to hold off their engagement party until she could hire the best event scheduler around. No doubt the event would be hyperbolic and full of socialites all using the couples' happiness as an excuse to network. Nevertheless, Piper was looking forward to spending time with her brothers again- the event would be a good distraction and would pass the time at least.

The mention of the party had triggered Carol into remembering a list of things she had yet to do for the event. The rest of the journey passed with her making frantic phone calls to various companies, the most notable one to ensure that all meals had a vegan alternative. Piper had to bite her lip hard to stop herself laughing as Bill crossed his eyes and stuck his tongue out at the mention of vegan food.

It was always strange for Piper to come home from college, the house that she had grown up in always felt like temporary accommodation nowadays. Miss Claudette had tried her best to make Piper's old room feel homely again but the fresh duvet and blankets couldn't hide the fact that the room felt cold and unlived in. There was not even any point in unpacking her belongings, Alex would be picking Piper up in less than 48 hours- a thought that made Piper's stomach flip with excitement every time it crossed her mind.

….

"Pipes, can you help me with this stupid thing?"

Piper was stood in the foyer of the house and turned to find a disgruntled looking Cal who had a loose bow tie hanging around his neck. She laughed as she straightened the collar of his white shirt and neatly tied the bow.

"You scrub up well," she teased pinching Cal's cheek between her thumb and forefinger.

"Yeah, well not by choice" Cal scoffed as he batted Piper's hand away from his face.

The first day at home had been a whirlwind of activity for Piper- she had barely seen her parents who were busy making final arrangements for the big engagement party, which had just started in the backyard. The evening was humid and sticky, as though a big storm was approaching- the heat made Piper feel even more uncomfortable in her floor length, skin tight dress. Despite both her and Cal's evident discomfort they did their best to welcome their guests with a smile- as per Carol's orders. When it seemed as though the whole state of Connecticut were in the Chapman's backyard Piper and Cal abandoned their duties and went in seek of food.

"Gross, what is this stuff?" Cal said in disgust as he lifted what looked like kale to his nose , evidently not impressed with the smell he placed the vegetation back onto the tray he had got it from- much to the dismay of the neatly suited waiter.

Piper slapped her brother lightly on the arm and laughed as the waiter turned his nose up at the pair of them and walked away.

"Not causing trouble are you kiddo's?"

The oldest Chapman child had arrived at the party without neither Piper nor Cal realising. He was irresistibly handsome with his olive skin and slick blonde hair. He was wearing grey suit trousers with a white shirt that seemed to accentuate his muscular figure. On his arm stood his fiancé, she was wearing a beautiful navy dress and her brunette hair was curled perfectly to one side. She exchanged greetings with Cal and smiled politely at Piper.

"I knew I'd find the two of you snooping around the food- proves we're definitely related," Danny laughed as he pinched a macaroon from a passing waiter's tray.

Britt looked confused at Danny's statement looking first from Cal to Piper, she let out a sudden gasp and lurched towards Piper.

"Oh my god, Piper?! I didn't even recognise you, you look so beautiful" Britt gushed as she opened her arms to hug the blonde. She kept her hands on the top of Piper's arms and lent backwards to look at Piper properly. "Danny, look at how beautiful she looks."

Danny looked at Piper and smirked; "She looks OK I guess."

He jumped away jokingly as Britt swung her purse for him. "Only messing squirt, you look great."

"Oh my god, we have so much to talk about! It's been so long. How's college? Have you made friends?" Britt asked, her eyes glistening with excitement- Piper thought it was adorable how much of a genuine interest Britt took in her life.

"It's been amazing, so amazing. I can't wait to tell you all about…" Piper stopped herself gushing on excitedly about Alex but not before she'd said too much. Her cheeks started to glow red as she saw Danny nudge Cal expectantly and raise his eyebrow at his sister.

"Do continue Squirt, anyone in particular made your college experience so amazing?" Danny teased.

"Don't make me attack you with my purse again" Britt warned. "Anyway I think this is the perfect time for a girly chat Pipes." Britt linked her arm with Piper's and smiled down at her.

"Gross" Danny scoffed before turning to Cal. "C'mon bud, why don't you show me the project you've been working on?"

The pair of them walked back towards the house leaving Piper and Britt alone. The girls took a seat on the wooden bench at the bottom of the garden, another one of Cal's master pieces. They looked out across the beautiful garden party, fairly lights illuminated the guests and a small folk band were playing under the stars.

"Lovely isn't it?" Britt sighed as she took a sip from the champagne glass in her hand. "I mean… hats off to Carol, she's done a good job- as much as it pains me to admit."

Piper laughed. "It's certainly very Carol."

Britt nodded in agreement and turned to face Piper. "So, are you going to tell me about this mysterious person at College?"

Piper blushed and hid her face.

"Now you're all shy?! Come on Piper I saw the look on your face," Britt laughed. Piper continued to avoid eye contact causing Britt's expression to soften. "You don't have to tell me Pipes, I'm only playing."

Piper nodded and smiled reassuring at the brunette who had started to ramble on about the wedding. Piper was half listening, the other half of her was trying to figure out why she still had such a mental block when it came to telling people about Alex. If it was the other way round Alex would have told everyone at the party about Piper by now. Piper smiled to herself as she remembered the pride Alex had shown when introducing Piper to her mom.

Piper was so transfixed in memories of her girlfriend that she hadn't noticed Britt had stopped talking and was watching her smugly. "OK, I was trying to play it cool but you really need to tell me about the person whose making you smile like that."

"Fine," Piper sighed. "So you're right… I have met someone."

"Mhmm", Britt raised her eyebrows at Piper and gestured with her hands for the blonde to continue. "Is that all I get? Not even a name?"

Piper laughed, "Alex." Her heart was beating hard in her chest and for a minute she was close to leaving the conversation at that. But the thought of not telling people about Alex felt as though she was being unfaithful to her girlfriend in some way- she would never want Alex to feel as though she was ashamed of their relationship just because of her gender.

Piper took a deep breath and looked at Britt who was eagerly waiting for more information. "Her name is Alex. Alex is a girl… my girlfriend. Alex is my girlfriend." Piper exhaled, her body felt lighter just by the words having left her mouth.

Britt's eyes widened slightly in surprise, "Wow Pipes, good for you!" Britt stayed silent for a moment, as though she was processing the information Piper had just provided her with- after what felt like an eternity she spoke up again. "Girls are much more beautiful than guys, I'll give you that one" she nudged the blonde gently and raised her glass towards Piper before taking a sip.

"You don't think it's weird?"

Britt almost choked on her drink at the question. "Why on earth would I think it's weird Piper?" The brunette placed her glass on the floor and took Piper's hands in her own. "I am so proud of you for being so brave and telling me about her and I'm so happy that you've found a love that you deserve- regardless of gender."

Britt smiled sweetly before hugging Piper tightly, the raw kindness and love in the hug made Piper's eyes fill with tears.

….

Alex was sat on one of the counters at the homeless kitchen swinging her legs as she waited for her mom to finish up for the day. She giggled down at her phone causing her mom to look up from her paperwork.

"Hey, I've just cleaned in here and you're getting your sappiness everywhere," Diane joked.

Alex stuck her tongue out at her mom and jumped down from the counter. "You need help?"

"Nah', I'm all done" Diane smiled as she slotted the paperwork into the relevant folder and sighed triumphantly. They'd had a successful day at the kitchen, more people than ever were relying on their help and Alex had enjoyed seeing the happiness a warm meal had brought to them.

"So… what was all the giggling about?" Diane asked as she did one final check of the kitchen and locked the door behind them.

"Pft… I wasn't giggling!" Alex replied as she jumped into the passenger seat of the car. Diane raised her eyebrow and smirked at her daughter as she buckled her seat belt and started the engine.

"I was happy because Piper told her brother's fiancé about me" Alex said shyly as she scrolled through the messages on her phone, reliving their conversation from earlier that evening.

"That's great hun, how is she doing at home?"

"Fine… a little tipsy by the sounds of it" Alex laughed. Diane smiled back at her daughter but didn't reply allowing Alex to continue. "I can always tell because she starts to put loads of extra letters at the end of words and she doesn't just send one long text she sends about ten messages all with one or two words on it. Plus she becomes so clingy, some people find that weird but I find it ador…" Alex stopped her babbling abruptly when she noticed her mom beaming at her.

"Wow, you've got it bad kid."

 **A/N- I'm so sorry everyone, life got in the way… again! I'm posting another chapter straight away and will give you a little bit of a teaser for the next chapter- I feel like these chapters haven't had much purpose recently but hopefully you guys are still interested in this story. I have a few drama filled/fun filled chapters planned which hopefully I can get up ASAP. Thanks again.**


	18. Chapter 18

Alex turned the ignition of the car off and looked up at the huge house in front of her, she checked the address in her phone for what felt like hundredth time and then tapped a message into her phone to let Piper know she had arrived. Alex watched the "sending bar" at the top of screen move painfully slow before it sent her an error message, she swore under her breath as she realised that she'd have to get out and find Piper herself. Alex opened the door of the car and climbed out nervously.

The house in front of Alex was unlike anything she had imagined. It went up at least 3 levels and was surrounded by beautiful gardens. The driveway was lined with perfectly cut hedges that led to a small water feature at the front of the property. The house and its surrounding were neat and tidy, making Alex wish she had got a hire car instead of borrowing Diane's old silver Mondeo. Alex bent her knees so her face was level with the window of the car and checked her appearance, she certainly didn't feel suitably dressed for the venue.

Alex could hear activity coming from the double garage at the side of the house, she swallowed nervously before finding the courage to walk towards the source of the noise. When she reached the garage Alex found a young guy, swearing profusely as he tapped aggressively at something on his work bench. At the sound of Alex's footsteps he straightened up slowly and turned around to face her. The young guy had floppy blonde hair that covered half of his face and smiled sweetly when he saw Alex.

"Hi, I'm Alex." Alex took a step towards the guy and extended her hand.

"Ah right, Alex… hey." The guy looked down at his hand and wiped it on his cargo shorts before shaking Alex's hand. "I'm Calvin… Cal."

Alex smiled and gestured towards the work bench, "What are you doing?"

"Ugh, I'm trying to get this stupid camera to work. I'm building a hedgehog hotel and I want to be able to see inside without scaring them away."

Alex immediately warmed to Cal-his confused expression looked remarkably similar to Piper's. "Mind if I take a look?" she asked.

"Sure."

Cal stood aside and allowed Alex to move past him. Alex approached the work bench and surveyed the various wires and monitors. After a few moments she shouted out making Cal jump.

"Ah! Here!"

Alex reached down to switch some of the wires around, she stood back triumphantly as the small monitor crackled and a clear picture from the camera emerged.

Alex turned around to look at Cal, "The red wire needed to lead into the power supply and the white and yellow have to feed into the monitor."

Cal was looking back at Alex in awe, his mouth hung slightly open in shock. "You are so much cooler than I thought you'd be."

"Thanks," Alex laughed.

The pair were so preoccupied with looking at the camera set up that they didn't hear Piper entered the garage behind them.

"I thought I heard you out here."

Alex turned to see Piper approaching them, she was wearing a pair of navy blue jeans and a white vest top that made her skin appear darker than it usual. She had a flannel shirt tied around her waist and Alex had to fight with every instinct in her body to stop herself pinning her girlfriend against the wall and kissing every inch of her exposed skin.

"Hey…" Alex breathed, well aware that she was probably doing an awful job at hiding her desire for Piper.

Thankfully Cal broke the sexual tension between the pair as he spoke excitedly to Piper; "Pipes, your girlfriend is so cool, she literally took one look at the wires and was able to fix them like that." Cal clicked his fingers at his sister.

"Stereotypical lesbian," Alex smirked in response to Piper's raised eyebrow.

"Well, I obviously have great taste in girlfriends" Piper trawled as she took a step closer to Alex. The dark haired girl looked amazing, she was wearing ripped black jeans and a simple black t-shirt but still managed to look incredibly sexy.

"Gross" Cal scoffed as he looked across at his sister practically eye fucking her girlfriend in front of him.

Piper snapped out of her trance and stuck her tongue out at Cal before turning back to Alex, "I just have a few more bits to get together, you OK to hang for a bit?"

"Sure, fancy showing me that hedgehog hotel Calvin?"

Piper cringed inwardly at the use of Cal's full name, she knew that he hated being called it and was expecting him to correct Alex immediately… but he didn't. Instead Cal nodded enthusiastically and gestured for Alex to follow him to the door at the back of the garage.

Piper hurried back into the house and pulled her possessions together as quickly as she possibly could- she couldn't wait to be alone with Alex again. She hurtled down the stairs with her bags and placed them in the driveway next to the silver car that she recognised as Diane's. Piper continued round to the back of the house where she found Alex and Cal crouched down in the flower bed. Alex was examining the wall behind the large, wooden "hedgehog hotel" and was talking to Cal passionately.

"If you drill right here you should be able to just feed the wires through to the work bench."

"Will it reach?"

"If you drill here it will definitely reach, trust me. Just make sure you cover the wires up properly though, you don't want any of your guests biting through them- or leaving you bad reviews."

"Cool, thanks Alex," Cal laughed.

Piper watched the soft scene unfolding in front of her, watching Alex teach Cal so patiently made Piper adore her even more than she thought was possible. Alex smiled at Cal sweetly before standing up and turning towards her girlfriend.

"Ready to go babe?"

Piper nodded, "You sure you'll be OK Cal?" she asked as she moved towards her brother protectively.

"Danny is picking me up soon, I'll be fine."

Piper opened her arms to her brother who rolled his eyes dramatically before accepting the hug. During the hug he whispered in Piper's ear loud enough for her to hear but too quiet to alert Alex; "I approve."

….

Alex looked across at her sleeping girlfriend, she had never seen such a picture of perfection. Alex was listening to her favourite acoustic playlist and was struggling to keep her eyes on the road- a sleeping Piper provided a much better aesthetic. Alex had one hand on the steering wheel, the other resting on Piper's thigh- Piper had intertwined her fingers with Alex's and wrapped both arms around her girlfriends. Alex had lost feeling in her arm a long time ago but didn't care, she stroked Piper's fingers with her thumb and smiled as she saw the blonde's mouth twitch into an unconscious smile.

There were barely any other cars on the road, which Alex enjoyed- it felt as though her and Piper were the only people in the world. She could see a mountain range in the distance and so knew they were getting close to their location although the trees were still thick around them. They had just passed through a small village when Piper stirred.

"Oh thank god," she sighed sleepily as she opened her eyes. "I thought I dreamed that I was here with you."

Alex smiled at how adorable Piper was. "Nope, afraid not."

Piper stretched and shifted her body angle although making sure to keep hold of Alex's hand. Alex strained her arm slightly at the new found freedom groaning slightly as pins and needles started to surge to her hand.

"You know, it's funny you say about dreaming… I'm sure you were talking about me in your sleep," Alex teased.

Piper cheeks turned a dark red- _She wasn't moaning in her sleep was she?!_

"I'm only kidding" Alex laughed as she saw the look of worry flash across Piper's face.

"Arsehole" Piper said as she stuck her bottom lip out at Alex and pouted- a look that always worked wonders on her girlfriend. Alex smirked back at the blonde before bringing Piper's hand to her mouth and planting a soft kiss on the back of it. At the contact of Alex's lips on her skin Piper pulled in her bottom lip and smiled once more.

….

The pair arrived at the lake house late in the afternoon. The sun was low in the sky but still shone brightly, intermittently blinding the girls as it found its way through the trees. Piper had her face pressed against the window and gasped loudly when they left the tree-lined route and reached a clearing. A beautiful lake house loomed over them, in the background the peaks of mountain tops were visible above the trees.

"I've never seen anything so beautiful" Piper breathed as her eyes scanned across the scenery in front of her.

"Me neither," Alex murmured- although unbeknownst to Piper she was talking about something completely different.

Alex manoeuvred the car into a space in front of the house and turned off the engine. Before she could even take her seatbelt off Piper was out of the car and staring up in awe at the lake house. Alex smiled at how adorable her girlfriend was, she climbed out of the car and collected their bags from the truck before joining Piper at the front of the house. It was a modern looking building made mainly from stone and glass- there was laughter coming from around the back of the house and from the look of the cars parked up at the front Alex and Piper were amongst the last to arrive. Alex picked both of the bags up and carried them up the stairs leading to the front door- she discreetly swore under her breath at how heavy they were.

"Babe, let me help!" Piper whined.

Alex grimaced, "I told… you, I can… manage" she huffed as she hauled the bags up the final step.

"You're so strong" Piper teased as she kissed her girlfriend on the lips.

Alex smirked back as she opened the door with her elbow and allowed Piper to enter the house. The inside of the lake house was just as beautiful as the outside. Natural light filled the room, shining on the neutral sofas in the living room and the white surfaces of the kitchen. Grey stone adorned parts of the walls whilst the rest were painted white and decorated with colourful canvases. The back wall was made completely out of glass, they were both stood in awe at the beauty of the building when Nicky entered from one of the patio doors at the back of the room.

"There's my favourite couple!" She yelled as she ran towards them and flung her arms around them both. "Look at you being the model girlfriend." Nicky laughed as she looked at Alex who was still struggling with the bags.

"Here, give me one" Nicky continued as she reached out towards Alex. Much to Piper's dismay Alex obliged and handed Nicky one of the many bags in her hands. "I'll show you to your room if you want. Chapman, Lorna is outside helping Boo start up the BBQ- I think she may need your expertise before we all contract salmonella."

Piper laughed and kissed Alex softly on the cheek before following the noise of laughter outside. Nicky smiled at her friend before leading her down a corridor lined with windows, when they reached the end of the corridor Nicky opened the door and entered, allowing Alex to follow her in. They set their bags down onto the floor of the beautiful bedroom, the large windows revealed a breath-taking view of the lake and surrounding mountains. Alex's first thought was about how much Piper would love the room.

"Welcome to the honeymoon suite," Nicky smirked. "You'll be pleased to know that this is one of the only rooms that Lorna and I haven't had sex in."

"You're such a good friend" Alex laughed.

"That's nothing, I also made sure that you had an ensuite room _with a_ shower- yano' just incase you get the urge again."

"Fuck off" Alex laughed, smacking her friend playfully.

….

The backyard of the lake house was stunning. The garden was covered by neatly cut grass and sloped gently towards the glistening lake. The afternoon sun shone directly onto the water causing it to glisten attractively as the gentle wind caused the water to lap up onto the beach sand surrounding its perimeter. When Alex left the house and took in the garden for the first time she thought that the lake almost looked like was a portal to another world- the way the trees cleared perfectly to frame the picture perfect scene was surreal. Alex looked around the group of people who were huddled in one group on the grass, they were all sat on sun loungers, garden chairs or random pieces of wood. As she scanned the large crowd of people Alex noticed all of the soccer team were present, some of them had brought friends or roommates- meaning that there were some people Alex had never met before. Her eyes flitted from left to right repeatedly as she sought out Piper, her eyes came to rest on the blonde who was set in a deck chair next to Lorna laughing adorably as she watched Boo "expertly" flip a burger.

Nicky smirked at Alex as she tapped her on the arm and handed her a folded up garden chair. Alex thanked her friend before following her over to the large group.

"Tough luck Boo, the flirting's gotta' stop now that Alex is here!" Lorna laughed as she spotted Alex approaching.

"Damn it!" Boo joked as she spun around from the BBQ which was billowing smoke across the garden. "I was just starting to soften her up."

Alex laughed and greeted everyone around the circle, introducing herself to those she'd never met before. She unfolded her chair between Nicky and Piper who placed a hand on Alex's leg and squeezed it gently.

"Vause! Heads up!" Poussey shouted.

Alex looked up just in time to see Poussey reaching into a bin filled with ice and hurtling a can of beer towards her. Alex caught the can of beer but not before the remaining ice on the can had sprayed all over her.

"Thanks" she laughed, wiping her now wet hand on her jeans.

"You know the rules Alex! Last one at a party has to down their first drink in one," Watson shouted.

The group collectively cheered in agreement as Alex sighed and reluctantly opened the beer and drained the contents. She tipped the last drops into her mouth and spluttered as she swallowed a pocket of air. The group laughed as a concerned yet amused Piper patted Alex on the back heavily until she regained composure.

….

"Where are you both escaping to?" I thought it was Boo I had to worry about with my girlfriend?" Alex asked jovially as Nicky and Piper stood up and collected another beer from the ice bin. Alex had been busy helping Trish and Watson attempt to fix the sound system but had clocked onto the fact that Nicky and Piper had been talking intently for the last few minutes.

"I'm going to show Piper around Vause, relax" Nicky laughed. "You worried I'll show her a better time than you."

"Impossible" Alex laughed as she watched them walk off towards the house. Alex wasn't the jealous type, but it made her slightly nervous that her girlfriend and best friend had been whispering secretively behind her back.

….

The house was like a Tardis- it was somehow so much bigger inside than it looked from the outside. Nicky proudly showed Piper every room from the endless amount of bedrooms to the indoor games room. When it felt as though they had covered every square foot of the house Nicky led Piper out through a side door and down a winding path to the lake. The small beach was only a couple of hundred of metres long but was adorned with sun loungers which the girls perched upon as they looked out across the lake- it was so vast that they couldn't see an end to it. Piper looked around and spotted a homemade rope swing hanging from a sturdy looking tree and a small boathouse that was poised perfected above the water. Trish and Alex must have fixed the sound system as heavy bass music could be heard in the distance as well as the sporadic sound of unified laughter.

"So, c'mon you can tell me now without Alex spying on us… did you tell your parents about her?"

"Not exactly," Piper replied. She ignored the look Nicky was giving her and carried on. "I know what you're thinking! I'm not ashamed of her Nicky, I made that mistake before with the whole double date thing and that _definitely_ won't happen again! I just don't think I'm ready to bring everyone in on it yet."

"What do you mean bring everyone in?" Nicky smirked.

"Not like that! I just think that things are so good right now, I don't want to bring anyone into our relationship that might ruin it- so I'm just being careful about who I tell. Don't you ever get the feeling that things are too good to be true?"

"I think that's a pretty ridiculous saying to be honest" Nicky shrugged as she finished off her beer. "Things are supposed to be good Piper, you're allowed to be happy- this is real, you and Alex are real- anybody who looks at the two of you together can see it's painfully obvious how in love you are."

Piper's head snapped up at the mention of love.

"Oh come on Chapman… you haven't said it yet?"

Piper shook her head. "You think she loves me?"

Nicky softened her expression at the vulnerability surrounding the younger girl, "Of course silly, anyone can see it. Look, I'm not saying you need to go and shout it from the rooftops- all I'm saying is that Alex is obviously important to you right?"

Piper nodded eagerly.

"Then fuck everyone else, you should be honest with your parents and if they don't accept that then fuck them… you have a family here and a whole LGBT community ready to welcome you with open arms- you'll never be alone Piper."

Piper smiled at Nicky, her eyes shining with the threat of tears.

"Don't you get emotional on me, Chapman! Alex will kill me if she knows I made you cry," Nicky rubbed a small circle on the top of Piper's back as she wafted her hands in front of her eyes to squash the threat of tears falling down her cheeks. "Speaking of which, we've been gone for over an hour now- they'll be rumours if we're gone much longer. You good?"

Piper nodded as she stood up from the sun lounger, "Thanks Nick."

….

When they re-joined the group there was a fire raging in the pit in the centre of the circle of chairs. The air had chilled slightly as the sun had continued its descent and the slight wind blew the smoke from the fire away towards the house. It was fair to say that everyone had gotten progressively drunker in the time that Nicky and Piper had been talking. Lorna greeted her girlfriend by practically tackling her to the floor in an attempt to kiss her lips.

"They're about to add the garden to their black book" Poussey shouted as Nicky writhed around on the floor trying to get Lorna to her feet again.

"This image reminds me of a dream I had once" Boo said as she leant back in her chair to get a better view.

The girls all set about laughing, Piper couldn't help but join in as she watched Nicky plead for help on the grass. She had never seen her friend this drunk before and to see her being so uncharacteristically aggressive as she fought for her girlfriends affection was amusing to say the least. Piper eventually felt bad for Nicky and so attempted to get between her and Lorna and lift her to the ground. She almost had Nicky to her feet when Alex came running out of nowhere.

"Tag team!" She shouted as she jumped on top of Nicky, knocking her back to the floor.

The girls exploded into more laughter, Boo doubled over and had to sit down before her knees buckled underneath her and Watson jumped up and down cheering the girls on. Nicky was now pinned beneath Lorna who was still trying to kiss Nicky and Alex who looked like she was trying to either pinch or tickle her friend. Eventually, with the help of a hysterical Poussey, Piper managed to pull Nicky free and to her feet.

"What the fuck is going on?"

Nicky looked bewildered before starting to laugh when she looked down at Lorna and Alex rolling around on the floor crying with laughter. The girls stayed on the floor for a few moments before clambering unsteadily to their feet. Alex stumbled forward right into the front of Piper. As she looked down at her girlfriend she noticed that her eyes were struggling to focus. Alex stared at Piper's face for a few seconds before a wide smile spread across her face- a smile that suggested Alex had just recognised who she had stumbled into.

"Oh hi, you're my girlfriend," Alex slurred before hiccupping. "You're very… beautiful."

Piper glanced across at Nicky who was smirking at her friend whilst trying to keep Lorna from attacking her face with kisses. As Nicky gave in and allowed Lorna to kiss her cheek the brunette realised, as she went to grab Nicky's face, that she had a grass stain on her hands.

"I look like that green monster thingy" Lorna exclaimed.

"Oh my gosssh, me too!" Alex slurred as she looked at her elbows which were also stained green. "The amazing Hulk!"

"Incredible Hulk, ssilly" Lorna laughed hitting Alex playfully on the arm.

"We're hulk sisters!" Alex laughed, collapsing on the floor again with Lorna.

"Jesus they're fucked" Piper laughed.

….

 **A/N- Double update for you- I wanted to get to a big chapter but I just haven't had the time! Next chapter is going to be more Lakehouse and a big Nicky style party with some unexpected gatecrashers joining in! I am in work this week but I will be off the week after so plan to write loads, I'm so thankful for you guys being patient and I promise that these chapters will start to fall back in line with the story soon!**


	19. Chapter 19

Piper's night had been restless to say the least, she'd woke intermittently throughout, her ears straining for the familiar noise of Alex's breathing. Piper found it comforting to watch Alex sleep, to see the rise and fall of her chest- if she looked hard enough she was convinced that she could see Alex's heartbeat rocking her chest rhythmically. Piper propped herself up in the bed and gently swept Alex's hair from across her face, tucking it behind her ear. She planted a soft kiss on Alex's forehead- her skin was warm and the sharp smell of alcohol still lingered on it, Piper smiled as Alex squirmed at the contact and pushed her head further into her pillow.

….

"Morning Vause, how's the head?"

Alex groaned in response as she sat gingerly sat down next to Nicky on the cool grass. She had left Piper sleeping peacefully and had slipped out to get some fresh air- her stomach was churning slightly and her insides burned. Her memories of the night before were patchy, she tried to think back to how she'd gotten into bed but the effort hurt her brain.

"That good, huh?" Nicky laughed.

Alex didn't often get drunk, ever since the Sylvie disaster she was always sure to balance her alcoholic drinks with water to maintain a reasonable level of sobriety. Her relationship with alcohol often left Alex riddled with regrets- something that made her feel even more uneasy about not knowing the events of the previous night.

"Did I do anything stupid?" Alex asked cautiously, her voice was hoarse and she swallowed harshly as she waited nervously for Nicky's response.

"You really want to know?" Nicky asked, she would be lying if she said that she wasn't enjoying keeping Alex in the dark about what she'd done under the influence of vodka.

Alex nodded slowly. When she'd woken up that morning next to Piper, she initially thought there was no way she could have messed it up- otherwise Piper wouldn't be in the same bed as her. But then Alex thought about the type of person Piper was, she would never leave someone alone when they were drunk…she was too nurturing.

"Well you cried…" Nicky said, determined to make the situation sound worse than it actually was. She needed some sort of soft pay back for Alex going all UFC on her.

"I cried?"

"Yup… you were flirting with Chapman- you got some pretty good chat up lines to be fair!" Nicky laughed, she was enjoying watching Alex's brain whir with the possibilities of what she had done or said the night before.

"That doesn't sound that bad, I'm allowed to flirt with her- she's my girlfriend."

"You asked her if she was single… and then cried when she said that she wasn't."

….

Alex placed the handful of flowers she had collected from around the lake into a tall glass that she had found in one of the kitchen cupboards. She carried the makeshift vase carefully into the bedroom and set it on Piper's bedside table. The blonde was still in a deep sleep and didn't even stir when Alex stroked her cheek softly and kissed her on the head. She scribbled out a note to Piper and shut the door gently behind her.

All morning the topic of conversation had been the "Project X" style party that Nicky wanted to throw that evening. Although most of the team had brought along friends Nicky hadn't been able to invite everyone she knew due to the limited number of beds in the house- the party invites, on the other hand, had been extended to everyone Nicky had ever met- well, that's what it felt like anyway. As the rest of the girls were either still sleeping or lounging by the lake Nicky and Alex made their way into a nearby town to purchase supplies for the night.

The morning was fresh and bright, the kind that makes you excited for a day of inevitable good weather. Nicky directed Alex towards a small, quaint town- it couldn't have been home to more than a couple hundred people. When they got out of the car at a cluster of shops, the mountains and tall trees around them made it feel like they were inside of a dome. Alex didn't like the feeling much, it made her feel trapped.

Alex pushed the shopping cart around the air conditioned store as Nicky ran ahead like an excited child- grabbing anything in sight that stated it contained alcohol. The girls were debating whether orange or pineapple juice would be best for a punch mixer when a short girl interrupted them- asking if Alex could hand her some apple juice from the top shelf. Alex obliged and handed the girl the carton, as she turned around to carry on the debate the stranger did a double take and placed her hand on Nicky's arm.

"Nicky?"

"Oh my god, Jodie?!" Nicky dropped the two cartons in her hand into the cart and embraced the short girl into a strong hug.

"It's been a while, huh?" The short girl beamed. She was very pretty and had wavy blonde hair that fell to her waist. Her skin was tanned and she smelt like the expensive perfumes you can buy at airports.

"At least three years I guess… What are you doing here? I mean… do your family still use the lakehouse? Well, I mean I guess there do if you're here… I can't believe I'm seeing you," Nicky laughed.

The girl smiled back at Nicky as though not believing she was really there.

"Shit, Jodie this is Alex Vause. Alex this is Jodie, she's an old friend of mine," Nicky stammered. "Her family own one of the lakehouses a little further down from ours…"

"It's nice to meet you," Jodie said politely, interrupting Nicky's rambling. "And it's nice to see you Nicky, maybe we can catch up whilst you're around."

"We're having a party tonight" Nicky said excitedly as she pointed to the alcohol filled shopping cart. "You should come! There's so many people I want you to meet… it's been so long."

"Oh I don't know I wouldn't want to impose… plus I have a house full myself."

"The more the merrier," Nicky chirped. "Bring them all along."

….

Piper smiled and looked out across the lake, digging her toes further into the warm sand. The girls had been outside for the majority of the morning, allowing the bright sun to absorb the alcohol from their bodies. They lazed around the edge of the lake like sleeping seals, only lifting their heads when someone brought out water or food. Piper had been on the receiving end of a lot of questions about the night before, the girls were keen to hear how she'd finally managed to get Alex to follow her to bed. They cried with laughter as she explained the fact that it involved a bottle of vodka and the promise of lacy underwear. Lorna had sat quietly through the exchange of stories, waiting for them change targets to her- which Boo took great pleasure in doing when she went into detail about what it was that Lorna was trying to do to Nicky on the grass that night. Piper howled with laughter as her friend's cheeks grew as red as her lipstick under her dark sunglasses.

The group's laughter was interrupted by a squealing Poussey running down the grass slope towards the sand.

"Run for your lives, there's a couple of gays on the loose… and they have weapons!"

Piper jumped up to see Alex and Nicky sprinting across the grass with two huge water pistols in their hands. The group dispersed as they screamed and laughed, trying to get away from the spray of the cold water. Piper looked straight into Nicky's eyes and ducked just in time causing a stream of water to hit Boo square in the face. Piper struggled to keep her legs moving as her body became convulsed with laughter, she scrambled away from the water massacre and attempted to run away from the lake and into the shelter of the tall trees. She squealed and arched her back as a stream of cold water hit the exposed skin between the back of her bikini and the top of her shorts. Assuming it was Nicky, she carried on running along the edge of the trees before her pursuer grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the tree line. Panting heavily Piper allowed herself to be caught and grinned as she turned around to see her girlfriend.

Alex smiled back at Piper as they stood in blissful silence for a few moments, the only noise between them their heavy breathing and the backdrop of screams and squeals in the distance.

"Good Morning", Alex smiled as she looked down at her girlfriend, her voice was lined with more than happiness as she stood with her face no more than a few inches away from Piper's. They were so close that Piper could feel Alex's words on her own lips, her warm breath tickling Piper's skin. Alex looked down at the blonde and noticed that brown freckles had started to appear across the bridge of her nose, spreading along to her cheekbones- Alex also noticed how Piper's skin was already turning golden brown, something that was accentuated further by the small, white bikini top she was wearing. The bikini was nothing more than a thin layer of lace that only just covered Piper's small breasts, it wasn't doing a great job at hiding the arousal at the proximity of her girlfriend as her erect nipples could easily be seen beneath the fabric. Piper's exposed stomach was still rising and falling heavily, but Alex wasn't convinced that it was because of the running- the bottom of her toned stomach was hidden by a pair of high-waisted denim shorts which helped to further emphasise the enticing shape of Piper's body.

The blonde looked at Alex expectantly as she allowed her to finish the lengthy observation of her body. Alex averted her eyes back to Piper's which were shining brightly in anticipation. Something about the moment was tense, but in an exciting, expectant way. They hadn't actually touched each other yet, although Piper's arm felt like it burned where Alex's touch had lingered just a few moments before. Alex couldn't contain herself any longer, she placed the pistol against a nearby tree and moved towards Piper- closer now until the blonde's back met the thick trunk of a tall tree. Piper gasped as her girlfriend gave into temptation and lightly touched the skin of her waist. Alex placed one hand in Piper's hair and used her thumb to draw a soft trail between Piper's freckles, she kept her other hand on Piper's waist- her eyes never leaving Piper's.

"Al…kiss me? Please."

The question came out breathy and barely audible, almost desperate. Piper could have sworn she saw a smirk line Alex's lips before they met her own. Alex kept the kiss slow and meaningful, their warm breath mixed together as Piper brought one hand up Alex's face. Alex felt almost dizzy with desire and she softly massaged Piper's lips with her own. She moved her hand slightly higher so that instead of resting on Piper's waist it was now on the top of her ribcage- just high enough for her to be able to feel the material of Piper's bikini. Piper bucked her hips as Alex continued to expertly kiss her, when she was unable to hold off any longer Piper lifted Alex's shirt and ran her hands across the toned stomach that lay underneath, her fingers gently tracing the lines of Alex's abs. Alex felt as though every nerve ending in her body was standing to attention as Piper's fingers sent shockwaves of electricity through her veins. Alex's hands travelled to the top of Piper's shorts where she swiftly undid the top button allowing her access to the lower section of Piper's stomach. Alex groaned as she felt the slick, soft material of Piper's bikini pants, she used the tip of her tongue to lick Piper's bottom lip before entering her tongue into her girlfriend's mouth and continuing to kiss her passionately.

Piper was so concentrated on Alex's hand that she was barely paying attention to the kiss, making it even more messy and frantic as she clung to Alex's body desperate for the friction to increase. She moved her hands down from Alex's stomach, expertly slipping them under the waistband of her shorts and underwear. Alex's mouth opened wide into the kiss at the shock of the unexpected move. They stayed like that for a while, mouths open- both panting heavily as the other rubbed and stroked them in the place where they needed it most. Alex manoeuvred Piper's body with her knee so that her legs were splayed wider apart, they were both getting closer to the edge- their surroundings a distant memory as their bodies spasmed in unison- they swallowed each other's moans as pleasure racked their body.

Alex moved her hand from Piper's skin and rested it beside the blonde's head on the tree trunk as she attempted to regain her balance. Their breathing eventually slowed down and Alex held Piper's face with her hand- taking in the beauty of the person in front of her. Piper smiled up at Alex and they kissed softly, a kiss that summed up what they both wanted to say even though neither could find the words.

….

"I can't believe you beat me…" Nicky whispered as she lay next to Alex on the grass, watching the rest of the girls frolic in the lake.

"Beat you at what?" Alex asked. Her eyes continued to follow Piper as she walked in the shallows of the lake, her white bikini was stuck to her skin sexily, her blonde hair dripping down her back. Alex's stomach swooned as she watched Piper walk further out into the lake and dive expertly underneath the water, resurfacing a few seconds later and flipping her wet hair back.

Nicky smirked as she watched Alex, the dark haired girl's eyes were barely blinking as she drank in every detail from the scene in front of her.

"I mean…" Nicky continued as she nudged Alex to get her attention. "You beat me… you had sex outside first."

Alex blushed slightly; "How do you know we had sex?"

"Didn't you?"

Alex remained silent.

"Well then," Nicky smirked.

….

It was one of those days that you never want to end, those days where you get a slight sinking feeling in your stomach when you can tell the light is fading and the air is cooling. The girls had slowly started to disperse into the house to begin getting ready for the night ahead, Alex had assisted Nicky in setting up for the evening. Light bulbs hung on string that had been throw across branches on the trees, ice bins lay scattered across the grass containing beer whilst a huge keg of punch had been placed in the kitchen- lovingly made by Nicky herself. Trish had managed to wire her speakers up so the music was louder than the previous night- it felt like spring break.

By the time Alex made it back to the room to start getting ready the first guests had arrived and the beginning of the party could be heard. Piper was sat on the floor, curling her hair in a small mirror when Alex entered.

"Babe", she whined, as she spun around. "I wanted to surprise you."

"I'll pretend I didn't see you," Alex smirked as she made her way over to her girlfriend and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. "You look gorgeous… obviously."

"I'm not even dressed yet", Piper laughed as she rolled her eyes.

"You don't need to be dressed to be gorgeous," Alex replied as she flopped backwards onto the bed. Despite her excitement for the evening ahead she couldn't help the weariness creeping over her- it didn't help that the bed was so damn comfy, she must have been too drunk to truly appreciate it the night before.

Piper looked across at her girlfriend lay on the bed and placed her curling iron safely on top of the protective mat on the floor. She climbed up onto the bed and positioned her body alongside Alex's. Piper's hair was still warm from the curling iron and Alex breathed in the familiar smell of her strawberry shampoo, humming contently as Piper wrapped her arms around her stomach.

"I missed you today," Piper whispered.

"You saw me today," Alex laughed. "Well, you more than saw me today."

Piper blushed. "I know, I know. I just wish we'd gotten to spend more time together that's all."

Piper went to get up off the bed when Alex reached out for her hand. "Babe? We'll spend some proper time together over the next few days, OK? I promise."

Piper's heart melted slightly as Alex held out her little finger and smiled back at her girlfriend.

"I'd like that" Piper replied as she hooked her finger around Alex's to seal the promise.

….

Alex had to fight every instinct in her body to stop herself from forgetting about the party and staying locked up in their room when Piper had come out of the bathroom asking Alex to zip up her shirt. She looked incredible. She always managed to look incredible. Alex's hands fumbled slightly as she zipped the shirt, hiding the back of Piper's black lace bra.

"If you're lucky maybe you'll get to undo it again later" Piper teased.

"God I hope so."

….

The party was already in full swing by the time Alex and Piper left their room hand in hand. They stayed close to each other as they worked their way through the dense crowd. The amount of people in the house must have tripled in the time that it had taken Alex to get ready- Nicky didn't seem to mind though, she greeted each one as though they were a lifelong friend. Alex gripped tightly onto Piper's hand as she pushed her way through the kitchen to the keg where Nicky had stored the punch. She poured out two cups and handed one to Piper who took a sip immediately, letting the familiar taste of the strong alcohol slide down her throat. It was almost identical to the punch that she had drank on the night that her and Alex had first slept together, it made her feel lightheaded with nostalgia. Alex winked at Piper knowingly before grimacing as she swallowed a large gulp of the liquid.

The rest of the team were outside playing drinking games in a circle. Alex and Piper joined in, laughing collectively as Nicky and Lorna were repeatedly caught out during a game of never have I ever. Nicky caught onto the couple's amusement and was quick to shame them with 'never have I ever had sex outside' quickly followed by 'never have I ever had sex during a water fight'. The group hollered and cheered as Piper and Alex proudly knocked their cups together and tipped the contents into their mouths.

….

Alex poured more of the strong punch into her cup, ignoring the constant pushing on her back as people surged through the kitchen to the patio doors. She was in some sort of happy delirium, it wasn't the alcohol- she'd been sure to keep her drinking to a minimum to avoid any more tears-it was more than that. Every time she looked at Piper, or thought of Piper or… even smelt Piper her body was rocked with a sort of happy ache. It was impossible to ignore, sometimes the feeling was so strong that Alex wanted to force tears out of her eyes just to feel some sort of release from the strong emotion. It was confusing- she'd never felt anything like it before, it was as though the feelings were only getting more intense and Alex didn't know what was needed to relieve them.

"Vause… there you are!" Nicky placed a hand on Alex's shoulder and spun her around, dragging her away from any thoughts of Piper. "Look, I didn't know, I swear… I mean, I should have asked… _shit._ "

"Nick, calm down! What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Sylvie, she's here."

….

Piper didn't know who the girl was at first. The blonde had been reaching into an ice bin, her hand scraping through the cold to try and find a beer when she'd heard someone laughing.

"Need a hand?"

She snapped upright to see a tall brunette grinning at her. The girl had a strange aura about her, she seemed powerful- almost bordering on intimidating. She smirked at Piper as she reached down into the bin and pulled out a cool bottle of beer.

"Thanks," Piper smiled back. "I don't think Nicky took into account us shorter people when she filled these bins." She accepted the beer from the stranger and expertly opened it on the edge of the bin. The girl raised her eyebrow at Piper seductively as she watched her take a long sip of the cold beer. Several stray water droplets fell from the bottom of the bottle and trickled down Piper's hand and she lifted the beer higher to allow for more beer to escape the small opening.

"Wow," the stranger laughed as she watched Piper panting lightly as the bottle left her mouth.

"Dancing is thirsty work," Piper laughed.

"Well, you made it look effortless."

Piper would be lying if she said that she couldn't tell the girl was checking her out. She seemed nice, but the way that her eyes greedily lapped their way over Piper's body made her feel both vulnerable and uncomfortable. She muttered an awkward thanks at the compliment and was about to make a lame excuse as to why she needed to disappear when she felt a familiar strong arm wrap its way around her shoulders.

"Hey babe." Alex's voice was all that was needed to put Piper at ease, she smiled and wrapped her arm around Alex's waist.

"Shit, I've been speaking to the famous Alex Vause's girlfriend all this time without realising?!"

Piper could feel Alex tense next to her, her ribcage lifted slightly as she held her breath to make the introduction between the blonde and the brunette.

"Piper, this is Sylvie… Sylvie, this is my girlfriend Piper."

Piper's skin prickled slightly as she realised who she'd been talking to, she tried hard to ensure that her facial expression didn't give away the dread that had just taken over her body. Sylvie smiled at the both of them, her eyes darting to Alex's waist where Piper's hand was carelessly placed. Piper knew exactly where Sylvie was looking and was sure to pull Alex a little closer to her own body- a subtle heat was rising in her chest as she watched Sylvie shamelessly checking out her girlfriend.

"What a small world," Alex chuckled, unable to stand the awkward silence any longer.

"I prefer to think of it as, _intimate,"_ Sylvie trawled sensually as she took a discreet step towards Alex, eyes locked on the dark haired girl's lips. She let a deep breath out and looked up at Alex's eyes before turning to Piper. "See you around." As she walked away Piper could have sworn the brunette turned back just to wink at Alex once more. The heat in her chest was boiling now as anger surged her body.

"What the fuck was that?"

"What?" Alex asked, looking down at the blonde who was writhing with rage next to her.

"She practically eye fucked you right in front of me!"

"That's just her Piper, ignore her. She's just trying to get into your head."

Piper tried her hardest to get back into the party mood after her introduction to Sylvie but it was incredibly difficult. She continued to drink and dance but couldn't seem to escape the brunette, who showed up wherever she and Alex went. She collided into them awkwardly coming out of the bathroom, she stood behind them in the small queue for the punch keg and she annoying initiated a dance off with Poussey right in front of them. She'd looked right into Piper's eyes and said; "I like a challenge" before proceeding to break into a well-rehearsed group dance with three other girls. Each encounter made Piper grow angrier, every time she looked at Sylvie the brunette would be looking at Alex longingly, devouring the dark haired girl with her eyes.

….

"You know I have to speak to her, don't you?"

"You don't…"

"Piper, she's my team mate- I need to be professional."

"But she's a dick."

Alex laughed slightly at how dramatic her girlfriend was being but quickly straightened her face when Piper glared at her.

"Would you not rather me set her straight…again?"

"I'd rather you stay with your girlfriend than talk to someone who you used to fuck!"

"It was one time, Pipes. If you trust me there's nothing to worry about."

"You're not the problem Alex, she is."

Alex sighed and placed her hand on Piper's knee. She knew where Piper was coming from and it was endearing to her to know the blonde cared so much- similar feelings of jealousy had racked Alex's body earlier that evening when she'd spotted Sylvie and Piper talking alone. She needed to eradicate the tension between Sylvie and her girlfriend, if Alex's feelings were what they thought there were she couldn't let anything get in her way.

….

Piper was sat alone on a fallen log on the edge of the tree line, picking at bits of bark when Nicky and Lorna came to join her. The party had well and truly taken over the house now, as could be seen by the shadows of people moving behind each window. The music was still blaring out loudly and Alex had disappeared to find Sylvie. Piper had watched them at first, she'd watched them detach themselves from the group and walk off in search of somewhere quieter to talk. That was when Piper had moved into the tree line, she couldn't watch anymore- it was torture. Even from afar she had seen the pleasure take over Sylvie's face, she'd seen her look over in Piper's direction knowingly- she needed to get away.

Lorna silently took a seat next to Piper on the log and handed her a cup of punch. The blonde was grateful of something to do other than think and grasped the cup, swallowing a large gulp of the orange fire water.

Nicky sat in front of the log and picked at the grass between her legs, looking up at Piper sympathetically. "I'm sorry Chapman, if I'd have known I definitely wouldn't have invited Jodie."

Piper nodded but remained silent.

After a while she spoke up; "It's just annoying you know… you think things are going well and then something… or someone, comes along to spoil it."

"You're not honestly worried about Sylvie, are you?" Nicky asked, confused. Lorna raised her head and looked at Nicky with wide eyes, motioning for her to stop talking. "Seriously Piper, all it takes is one look at that girl to know she is head over heels for you… she isn't stupid enough to let a silly mistake like Sylvie get in the way of that. I mean, I know it's hard when you feel like you can't escape it but this is one of those things you're going to have to live with. But trust me Piper, Alex would never, ever hurt you- OK?"

Piper nodded and sniffed, "You're really surprising me with these motivational chats Nick."

….

Alex took a seat on one of the sun loungers at the edge of the lake, she watched a couple sneak out of view into the trees and smiled as she thought back to her and Piper doing exactly the same thing earlier that day. Sylvie took a seat next to Alex on the sun lounger, snapping the dark haired girl back to reality. She awkwardly tried to shuffle herself further along the seat to create more space between herself and the brunette next to her.

"So, I just wanted to have a quick chat with you really…" Alex started.

"You really expect me to believe that you dragged me away from a party just to _talk?"_ Sylvie asked as she closed her space between her and Alex, leaning in towards her face.

"Sylv…" Alex said as she took Sylvie's hands in her own and moved to the adjacent sun lounger. "I don't want to be a dick, I want to be able to talk to you and be your friend but I have a girlfriend that I need to protect… and if that means keeping this professional and just being team mates then that's what I'm going to do."

Sylvie snapped her hands back and glared at Alex. "You really think the two of you will last?" She laughed coldly. "C'mon Alex, she's a straight girl- we've both seen it before- freshman in college, looking for a bit of an adventure to brag to her friends about at her next slumber party."

"It's not like that…" Alex said quietly as she looked down at the floor.

….

Nicky saw Sylvie leave the beach first- the look on her face made Nicky's stomach drop, she seemed… proud. Piper didn't take long to notice that Sylvie had joined the rest of the group, her eyes searched the area for Alex but she came up short.

"Do you think I should go and find her?" Piper asked.

Lorna looked at Nicky who nodded back at Piper- as much as she was enjoying this new philosophical hat she'd been wearing recently she wished her friends would just own up to how much they liked each other- it would save a lot of confusion!

Alex had stayed on the sun lounger after Sylvie had left- her brain played the brunette's comments back on a constant loop. Sylvie had continued to list every insecurity that Alex had ever had about her relationship with Piper, by the end of the conversation Alex felt exhausted as her brain struggled to come up with contradictions to every point. She was tracing patterns into the sand absent-mindedly when Piper had sidled up to her and sat on the seat that Sylvie had just vacated.

"How did that go?" Piper asked quietly.

Alex remained silent.

"Wanna' talk about it?"

"Not really…" Alex replied, still drawing random shapes in the sand with the tip of her index finger.

"I think we should… talk about it."

Alex looked up at Piper, her blue eyes were wide with worry- Alex's resolve instantly shattered as she stood up to sit next to the blonde. She reached out and held the blonde close, kissing her on the temple- when she looked down again Piper looked slightly more relaxed although Alex could still see the glistening threat of tears in her eyes.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Alex whispered quietly, massaging Piper's upper arm with her thumb.

"I'm just worried… I'm worried that Sylvie is trying to convince you of all the reasons you shouldn't be with me, and I'm worried that one of them with resonate and that you'll realise that you deserve more than me."

"Piper, stop. You're driving yourself insane for no reason."

"Isn't that what she was trying to do?"

"Well, yes." Alex answered honestly. "But that'll never happen, I'll never think that I deserve more than you."

"How can you be sure?" Piper asked.

Alex manoeuvred herself so she was looking at Piper square on, she removed her hand from Piper's arm and instead placed it over her girlfriend's hands which were resting in her lap.

"Listen to me OK, Sylvie is no one to me- if it wasn't for soccer she would only be a distant memory of a drunken night... What Sylvie and I shared, hell, what me and anyone I've ever been with before have shared has only ever been purely physical…"

"Is this supposed to make me feel better?"

"Just listen… I've only ever had physical connections before, which is why I suck at this side of relationships- the talking side. But anyway, what I need to make sure that you know is that you're so different Piper," Alex shook her head slowly in disbelief and awkwardly laughed as though she couldn't believe what she was saying. "And that's why I sometimes get all weird because I didn't know all of these feelings inside of me meant, I'm not used to someone coming into my life and making me re-evaluate, yano? Am I talking rubbish, you can tell me to stop if I am?"

Piper squeezed Alex's hand gently, "You're not talking rubbish."

"You've taught me things Piper, I don't think you realise it but you have… you've taught me that love means more than flowers and chocolates, it means checking if someone is OK after a long day, getting them a glass of water just incase they want one, seeing them smile when you make a stupid joke... I guess, I expected love to be like the movies, yano' just plain sailing happiness- but it's not… it's a struggle, an enjoyable struggle of two people compromising and doing nothing but caring for each other whole heatedly. You've made me believe in it… in love I mean."

Piper was watching Alex's face intently, it was beautiful and endearing to watch Alex stumble over the words- it wasn't a rehearsed speech it was just words, words full of raw emotion and so much meaning. It was so uncommon for Alex to open up and Piper felt so honoured that she was special enough to witness Alex's walls crumbling down. Piper placed her hand on the side of Alex's face causing the dark haired girl's glistening green eyes to meet her own.

"I'm so in love with you" Piper breathed. As she said the words she felt as if all of the veins leading to her heart sparked in celebration.

Alex exhaled happily, "I guess that's what I was trying to say too."

"Then say it?" Piper smiled.

"I love you, Piper Chapman."

Suddenly, the intense ache in Alex's body made sense- those three words were all she needed to say all along. She placed her hand over Piper's and brought their softs lips together into a passionate embrace. It feel like the rawest, most honest kiss they had ever shared. Alex unlocked her lips from Piper's and whispered softly against them.

"I love you so much."

….

 **A/N. This was the first chapter in a while where I absolutely loved writing every single line! I'm off work this week so I feel like I've actually been able to give this story the attention it deserves. I watched Season 5 this weekend so I'm fully inspired to write more, if you haven't watched it yet and you're a big Vauseman fan you will not be disappointed, I promise! Can't wait to write more, as always please leave your reviews/suggestions for next chapters- I love reading them more than anything. If you fancy giving me a follow on twitter I've had a recent handle change to ishiplovee. PS- special thanks to Chuliemae and Older-Danvers on Tumblr- from whom I stole the hilarious joke at the start of the chapter- I wish I could claim credit for it! Love you all- C x**


End file.
